My ShiroRyuu
by Tia-Chan18
Summary: Demi has gotten out of control! She unleashed her bankai and soon she will be unstoppable! Can Ichigo save Orihime from herself? -IchiHime and other various pairings-
1. Realization

Alright so this is the first chapter to my Zanpakutou series!

Orihime is up first!

I guess it's because her's came to my head just like that.

Anyways pleased to present chapter one of my story My ShiroRyuu!

**Disclaimer: Don't own bleach!**

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She never knew the feeling that threatened to consume her each day. Ever since she came back from saving Rukia from her execution, she had strange dreams of a dragon. At first she thought it was just her imagination playing tricks on her. But the feeling got more stronger when she was sleeping. Orihime would feel light headed and queasy. Almost as if someone watched her every movement from within her very soul.

She was more and more paranoid as every day passed. She would be talking to Tatsuki at school and she would stop talking only to feel her heart pulse. She would hold her chest and feel a slight pain and her face would turn pale. It happened more frequently when she would be near Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, Uryu, or Chad. They would ask her each time if she was alright. She would just shrug it off and say she was just daydreaming.

When Grimmjow first came and she couldn't help fight due to her injuries, something called out to her. She couldn't hear the voice all to well since it was a whisper. But she knew something was there. She would turn and look all around her but she couldn't confirm where the voice was coming from. It would creep her out more and more. After Rukia was healed due to being seriously injured by Grimmjow, she looked around.

She heard the voice as if it were right beside her. But what she never expected was that her arm was totally healed. The weird part was she never healed herself. Tsubaki was also revived. Which shocked her because Rukia noticed it. She wondered how she did that. When Ichigo and Renji asked her, she shook her head and told them that she didn't summon Shuno or Ayame. But they told her that while she was healing Rukia, a white glow surrounded her and she was more stronger. They also said that her reiatsu was almost as strong as Ichigo's which shocked her completely.

So when she stood up, what shocked everyone the most was that her outfit changed from normal clothes into a Shihakushō. She looked at everyone's faces before she turned to look at her own clothing. The only difference was that her Shihakushō was actually white and light blue instead of pure black. It was different from a captain's. She didn't even need a gigai! She was able to materialize into a soul reaper and hide her presence so it wouldn't upset the balance between the souls. She never had a zanpakuto attached to her side either. It wasn't even on her back.

"Where's your zanpakuto Orihime-Chan?" Rangiku asked. She never knew of many soul reapers who never had a soul cutter.

"How are you a soul reaper Inoue? This doesn't make any sense at all!" Ichigo was too shocked. This never happened to him so he was the most shocked out of everyone.

"Did you die Orihime-San?" Renji asked.

"No I never died Renji-Kun. I honestly don't know how I am a soul reaper Kurosaki-Kun. I felt really weird ever since we came back from saving Rukia-Chan." She explained. It was true. She would have dreams about a dragon coming to talk to her. But all it did was whisper her name. Nothing else. It never anything else.

"Maybe being exposed to soul reapers awakened her inner powers. Do you know your zanpakuto's name Orihime?" Rukia calmly asked.

_It's name? _She thought. It never occured to her that she could be a soul reaper let alone know the name of her powers. She knew she had her Shun Shun Rikka, but even they never knew about these powers. Just then a vision of the Dragon came into her mind. She started to Pulse and everyone noticed that she fell on her knees holding her head. The dragon's voice kept coming in clearer, begging for release.

"Orihime-San! Are you okay? What's wrong?" Toushirou and Renji asked.

She felt everyone's gazes on her and she started to get really nervous. The dragon kept roaring at her, seeking for acceptance. It started to beg for her to be released in front of everyone. This creature trusted her friends and wanted to make her appearance. The only problem was that Orihime needed to make that decision. Finally the dragon talked to her.

"Please show me to everyone Orihime." she calmly spoke.

Orihime gasped when she heard the dragon talk. "Are you sure? Is this what you want?"

"I'm positive. If you don't call my name, your reiatsu will start to leak everywhere and people will start to collapse. Do you want that?"

"No. I don't want others to suffer because of me."

"Then stand up. Look at your friends and say my name."

Orihime shook her head lightly. She took her hands off her head and stood up, causing everyone to look at her. She took a step back so she had the space and ripped off her bandages around her arm. She flexed it so it would stiffen up. She dropped it to her side and held out her other arm.

"Orihime?" Rukia was the first one to ask. Everyone else gasped as they saw the white glow engulf her once again.

She looked at them and whispered "Shine, ShiroRyuu."

That's when they saw the zanpakuto form right in front of their eyes.

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**A/N:** Ohh a Cliffhanger! It's my first time doing one! I'm so happy! YAY!

Ahem anyways ShiroRyuu means White Dragon. I wanted to think of something that was easy to remember but made more sense to Orihime's powers.

This may turn into IchiHime in future chapters.

I thought that it was more better if she got her powers after Grimmjow came into the picture.

Anyways, tell me what you think! I will try to update as much as possible!

Oh and I will be redoing some chapters and changing some of the contents. Just to try and make the story more enjoyable ;)

Review please!

~Tia-Chan~


	2. Tia makes her Appearance

Alright, so here's chapter two!

I hope it's to everyone's satisfaction.

I would like to thank those who have reviewed so far!

I hope to hear more from others!

Anyways, on ward to chapter two of My ShiroRyuu!

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN BLEACH!!**

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They couldn't believe what just happened. Not only did Orihime become a Shinigami, but she was able to materialize her zanpakutou from thin air. It was like magic, but they knew to think otherwise. Saying that it was like magic could have been considered an insult, But when the white light disappeared they couldn't believe their eyes.

Orihime was so damn amazing. Her eyes changed to light green and her Shihakusho was outlined with gold and blue. Now, her zanpakutou was something else. The hilt was metallic blue and it literally sparkled. There was a ribbon flowing within the light breeze that was similar to Rukia's but glimmered within the moon's reflection. The tip was so sharp that one swing could cut someone's hair. The blade itself was thin but it was light blue. The most amazing thing was behind Orihime, you could actually see a white dragon. The dragon literally wrapped itself around Orihime's head.

"Inoue... Is this your bankai?" Ichigo was literally stunned. This form was too brilliant and it was so weird how the dragon was actually out of the zanpakutou instead of being one with it.

"No. This is my shikai. Not my bankai. My bankai is way too dangerous to expose in the open. If I was fighting someone, only then could I use it." She replied.

"Orihime-San, when did you learn that you could become a Shinigami?" Toushirou asked.

"I told you. It was right after we saved Rukia-Chan. I didn't say anything at first because she only appeared in my dreams. It was only recently that she started to appear in my daydreams too. By then, I didn't know how to say anything. I wasn't sure what would have happened if I told anyone about her, so I kept quiet. But then I started to feel light headed and queasy. Before I could do anything, you noticed how different I was acting so I couldn't hide it anymore. It mostly happens when I'm around everyone. I guess it's was the exposure of your powers that causes me to get headaches."

Toushirou was astonished. He had only heard about this dragon in a legend that he had heard from many elders. He had never actually seen the dragon before. Only in pictures. But to actually see her now confirmed that the legend was indeed true.

"Orihime, did you feel strange when you were in Soul Society?" Rukia asked. She was very curious about this whole situation. She felt like she had met Orihime in another life.

"Now that you mention it... " She started to speak which got everyone to look at her.

"I kinda had some flashbacks. I felt as if I had been to the Soul Society before. They were only blurry memories though. All I could make out was someone crying at me saying to go with Urahara-San and Yoruichi-San. The person was female though. It affected me most when I saw Kuchiki-Sama risk his life for you Rukia-Chan. And you were crying, telling him that he was going to be alright. When I saw that happening, the memory literally flashed in front of me, like I was watching a movie from the past."

"Do you remember what her name was, Orihime-San?" Renji asked next.

"I believe her name was Tia."

Everyone was shocked at what happened next. Before they knew it, someone appeared beside Orihime. She was a bit taller than her but she had shoulder length sky blue hair, with black tips. Her Shihakusho was blue with tints of purple. Her eyes matched her hair and her zanpakutou was connected to her hip.

"Yo. It's been a while hasn't it, little sister?" She grinned.

Orihime's eyes widened as she turned her head around to see the newcomer. She couldn't believe it. She thought that her sister died. The last time she had seen her was when she was a little girl.

"Tia-Taichou!" Renji and Toushirou gasped.

Rukia and Rangiku stood there in shock. Their eyes were almost as wide as Orihime's. None of them had seen her in such a long time.

"How has everyone been? I noticed that you were fighting and I came to check on you. However, I came a bit too late, seeing as you beat the enemies."

"Well.. not all of them. I let one of them get away. Sorry Tia-San." Ichigo whispered.

"AH! So you must be the substitute Shinigami I have heard so much about! Kurosaki Ichigo! I've wanted to meet you for the longest time. But unfortunately, I was super busy! You're the young lad that achieved bankai in three days! Wow that's amazing! Although I got mine in one day. But that's cause I had to learn when I was a kid. Don't worry about letting one escape. It's not the end of the world!" She replied happily.

He just looked at her with shock. He never thought that she would be so passive about it. But then again if she told him not to worry about it, why should he bother to argue?

"Yes, I am the leader of the Soul Society. When I'm not around, Yamamoto is the guy in charge. My sister is Orihime. She's exactly a year younger than me. But not many know that she is my sister so please keep this a secret. I'm pretty sure Chad and the Quincy will find out eventually. But they don't need to know right away. Not that I have anything against them. But the Quincy could learn some more manners. Anyways, that does mean that Orihime here is the other leader of the Soul Society."

Ichigo's eyes went wide. He turned to look at her. He was friends with the leader of the Soul Society? Man, there was so much about her that he never knew about! But then again, they just got closer during the rescue.

"Does that mean Orihime will have to go back to the Soul Society?" Rukia asked.

"No. She doesn't have to become the leader. The choice is hers. But I don't want her to worry about that right now. Since Aizen is probably plotting his next move, we have to focus on him first. The leader of the Soul Society isn't as important as saving lives. For right now, our main priority is to help Ichigo control his inner hollow. Without him being able to control it, he will get consumed and try to kill us all. We also have to help Orihime regain full control over her powers too." Tia calmly explained.

Everyone was shocked. How did she know about everything? It made no sense at all. How could she know what was happening when she wasn't there to begin with? Well, she's not the leader of Seireitei for nothing. She was bound to have known what was going on.

"Orihime? What's wrong? You seem pretty quiet. Are you alright?" Tia looked at her younger sister with one eyebrow raised.

"Huh? No, it's nothing. I guess I should put away my zanpakutou. There's no need to use it since everyone is healed."

Ichigo looked at himself. It was true! She had somehow healed everyone when they weren't paying attention.

"Inoue? How did you heal all of us? I never heard you call out your Shun Shun Rikka. You only healed Toushirou and Rukia with that."

"**THAT'S CAPTAIN HITSUGAYA TO YOU KUROSAKI!" **Toushirou hissed.

"Wow! I am healed! Amazing Orihime-San! Thank you." Renji replied with a grin.

"Well..." Orihime was going to say something but she stopped. She already knew that her dragon did the healing but she didn't want anyone knowing her zanpakutou's true abilities just yet. It wasn't like she didn't want them knowing, it was just that it was very hard to explain their abilities. And the fact that she was the other leader of the Soul Society. It only made her feel more confused and nauseous. She didn't know what to think. Even though her big sister told her to not worry, she couldn't help but try and understand the whole situation. Suddenly, she felt like she had a fever and sweat began to drip down her face.

"Orihime? Are you alright? You look really sick." Rukia, who was beside her asked worriedly. Orihime wasn't usually this quiet or pale looking.

Everyone turned to look at her. Man. Did she ever look like she saw a ghost. She felt like no one was around. Everything just looked blurry to her. She hadn't felt this strange since she felt these new powers surging through her in Seireitei.

"Inoue?" Ichigo asked. He was really worried about her. She never even moved. She just stood there staring into space. He knew that she did that often, but the fact that she was pure white made him just as protective. Her eyes glazed over and they were just pure black.

Ichigo noticed her knees starting to shake. Without thinking, he started to run towards her calling her name. "Inoue!"

As he called her name, Orihime saw her world spinning and without knowing it, she had fallen into a warm pair of arms.

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**A/N:** Another Cliffie! Jeez, I guess I like the suspense that much XD.

Anyways, I know my name is in there, but I couldn't figure out what a good name would be for someone who was Orihime's big sister. My name just kinda fit with it. I tried to think of names to switch it with, but nothing really worked with the story.

Alright there was some IchiHime in this chapter. I'm gonna try and make their relationship go slow. Unlike most of my fanfics where they just proclaim their love and BAM! They're together. I'm weird that way aren't I?

Don't worry you'll find out more about Orihime's past and her zanpakutou's abilities! I shall try and make it different from Toushirou-Kun! Oh and I'm spelling his name right. (It's the Japanese way of spelling it. Same goes for Zanpakutou.)

Review please! Comments are loved! I don't mind certain flames. If they aren't that bad anyways!

~Tia-Chan~


	3. Orihime's Zanpakutou

Alright presenting chapter 3!

Sorry it took me so long. *sigh*

I had to figure out a good way to explain her new powers without confusing any of my readers!

You're all important to me!

I hope you understand!

Ahem. Anyways on with the chapter! I can babble at the end XD

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN BLEACH!!**

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Ichigo was still screaming her name as he was attempting to shake her awake. But she didn't make any movements.

"Inoue!! Wake up! **INOUE!!**" Then, with slumped shoulders, he stopped screaming. It was no use. She wouldn't wake up. She wouldn't budge or make a sound or anything. She just stayed motionless in his arms.

"Don't worry. She's alright. I can still sense her reiatsu. As long as you can sense a shred of reiatsu, it indicates that a person is still alive. It was probably just a strain on her since her powers were sealed up for a long time." Tia explained.

"What do you mean Tia-Dono?" Rukia asked. She was kinda nervous cause it wasn't normal to see a shinigami faint like that. Especially someone like Orihime who has a huge amount of reiatsu.

"I can't talk out here. We have to go someplace else. Who knows what kind of people are lurking about this time of night? They could be waiting for me to say things that would endanger her."

"Where can we go Tia-Taichou?" Renji asked.

"Urahara Shoten. Kisuke and Yoruichi can help me explain everything related to Orihime and her new shinigami powers. Or should I say old? Cause I mean she had them but then I sealed them off. Well, whatever. Call it what you want I suppose." Tia shrugged.

Ichigo nodded. He shifted Orihime so she laid on his back. He held onto her arms to keep her from falling off and her head rested on his left shoulder. He followed behind Tia and kept up with her speed. _Man she's fast! Even faster than me when I'm in my bankai! I feel like I have to be in it just to be at her feet._ Renji and Rukia were on each side of him while Rangiku and Toushirou followed not far behind.

They leaped over rooftops and ended up causing wind to follow. Ichigo felt a chill going down his spine when the wind hit. But he wasn't used to following someone who was this fast._ Is she the reason why the wind is so strong? Can she create the wind?_ Those questions pondered his thoughts before he realized that Urahara Shoten was just below them.

They landed gracefully on their feet and proceeded towards his shop. Luckily for them, Kisuke and Yoruichi were already standing at the front of the shop.

"Hai, Hai! Come in, come in everyone!" Urahara said with a grin on his face.

"Tia, it's been quite some time since I saw you. How have you been?" Yoruichi asked.

"Never been better. Just came here to see if you guys would mind helping me explain my sister's zanpakutou. She just released it tonight. I'm pretty sure you're already aware since it shouldn't have been too hard to notice."

"Yes, her reiatsu astonished me when I felt it. But then again, I knew they couldn't been sealed off for her entire life. They would've most likely been exposed sooner or later." Yoruichi nodded in agreement.

"Well then, everyone please come into my shop! There's tea made for anyone who wants some. Bring Inoue-San with you. She needs to rest at the moment. That was a ton of reiatsu she had released. But I was a bit surprised that she didn't need a gigai. I guess she's like her sister here." Urahara pointed at Tia.

"Yeah yeah, no need to rub it in everyone's faces. Just because they need a gigai and I don't doesn't mean that I can go and brag about it. Besides the only reason why I don't need one is because I'm used to concealing my reiatsu and I know the difference between using it all at once and saving some for when I need it." Tia replied annoyed. She entered his shop first and sat down as Yoruichi sat down beside her.

Ichigo laid Orihime down behind Rukia, Renji and himself. Toushirou, Rangiku, and Kisuke sat on the left of the table while they sat on the right. Tia and Yoruichi sat at the front of the table.

"Alright what do you want to know?" I honestly don't know where to start first." Tia sighed. She really had no idea what they wanted to know about her sister so she needed them to ask the questions.

No one responded for a bit. They had to collect their thoughts and had to come up with questions. It wasn't that easy to ask Tia about anything. Especially her sister. Toushirou was the first one to ask about anything.

"Why does Orihime-San's zanpakutou resemble a white dragon? I mean it's similar to mine, but is it a fighting zanpakutou or a kido?" He was curious. He couldn't help himself. He just wanted to know.

"Alright that I can answer with ease." Tia said before looking at everyone and catching their gazes.

"A white dragon is known for being a symbol of healing. See, around the world people know white dragons for healing. They use their blood to cure poisons from other dragons. Which is why there's a white flower that is made from them. And due to Orihime's caring nature and her Shun Shun Rikka, her zanpakutou resulted in both kido and fighting. She can use shikai or bankai to fight against enemies. There's just a difference between the two. When she goes into bankai you can't always tell because she can go into that form without using the command "bankai". That would take up time and energy. In battles, you usually need the time and space to actually attack your opponent." She paused. She took a look at everyone's faces and noticed they were still watching her. She then continued.

"She can also use Black magic to attack. Moves like Thundaga and Firaga. In her bankai form, her wings change so the element matches her opponents. In other words, she's their weakness. They wouldn't be able to do much damage to her. Usually, she would attack from a distance because it gives her more time to prepare for a physical attack. And it can also do more damage depending on how skilled the magic is. There are 3 levels. Let's see. How could I- Oh I know! Alright so say she's in the fire element. There are three levels of fire. There's the first level which is known as Fire. Second level is known as Fira. And the last level is Firaga. White magic, however, is part of the kido she uses. She can actually revive people. It can be more useful than her Shun Shun Rikka. A way to give her kido more strength, we'll combine the power of her Shun Shun Rikka with her zanpakutou."

"How can we do that?" Ichigo asked. He was really surprised because her powers were different from a soul reapers or hollows. At least that's what they were told.

"Simple. All we do is fuse her hair clips with the zanpakutou. We just place them onto the zanpakutou and they'll sink into the sword and release the powers. Once they're in, the hair clips will pop back out and she can still keep them as normal hair clips." Urahara replied.

"Tia-Dono. I was wondering, why did you seal her powers off to begin with? I mean wouldn't have been easier if she got them the same time as Ichigo?" Rukia questioned.

She sighed. "It's not that simple. See I had no choice. If I had allowed her to come into the world of the living, she had to get her powers sealed, otherwise the Soul Society would have known. Not to mention, hollows would have been lured towards her and she might have died since I only taught her how to use kido. Kido can only be used to a certain degree and I think that since she was at a young age, more people would have been found her as an easy target. Right now, I'm talking about Aizen. He actually needs her powers which is why she's in danger. He might have noticed that she had powers that could help him and that could result in her getting kidnapped. Since it's come to this she needs to fight."

"Wouldn't it be wise to keep her out of battle? I don't mean to disrespect you Tia-Taichou, but if she battled wouldn't she be in even more danger?" Renji asked.

"No. See if we keep her out, it would hurt her feelings cause she would feel useless. It would also make her want to go to the Soul Society and get stronger. Aizen could easily take her while she's coming back to the world of the living. That would be something that Aizen expects us to do. We'd be falling into his hands like putty. I don't work that way. We can avoid that whole thing. All we need to do is train her and get her stronger. Which might be hard." She explained.

"How would it be hard to get Orihime-Chan stronger?" Rangiku finally asked.

"See, there's a reason as to why Orihime wouldn't show you her bankai. She has two. One is a pain in the ass. Only thinks of taking over her powers and destroying everything she sees. The other one is a kind one. Doesn't like to destroy things recklessly. Thinks of everyone around her and tries to fight without hurting her allies. We need to train that one in an area where no one will get hurt at all. Maybe in Kisuke's basement or an open field. I can seal off the area with kido but aside from that it's her choice. Only, we have to wait for her to wake up." Yoruichi said.

"So, she has two personalities? Kinda similar to me? Except hers is more deadly than mine?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"Pretty much. You'll definitely tell when the pain in the ass shows up. She'll look totally different but in a way, similar to Orihime. Is there anything else you would like to know about my sister's powers?" Tia asked.

"One last question. Tia-San, why does a white dragon appear out of Inoue's zanpakutou? Wouldn't they be linked together as one like Toushirou's or Renji's?" Ichigo questioned.

"No. See that means she released her shikai. Her zanpakutou is a legendary like mine. It only appears when people are injured. Do you remember that blinding white light? That meant the dragon was healing you. When the dragon appears, it means that she is healing everyone around her. That's why Orihime fainted. She used up her energy to heal everyone else. Not to mention she wasn't fully healed from that arrancar attack. There's only one problem with the healing."

Everyone looked at Tia with wide eyes. _That can't be a good thing._ Rukia was the one to speak for everyone.

"What's the problem Tia-Dono?"

"The problem is... Orihime is the only one who can't be healed by those powers."

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**A/N:** Another cliffie? Wow I must have bad timing then XD Actually it seemed like a perfect time to stop. Well this one was longer than my other chapters. It was 4 pages XD. I know it's not that long but like I said, I don't want to rush the story. That wouldn't be right.

Anyways I got the whole Black and White magic from Final Fantasy. That's a good game series! I recommend it to anyone who hasn't played it yet!

The white dragon part I got from the Legends of Dragoon game! I also recommend that game as well! It's got a really good plot!

If you have any questions about Orihime's zanpakutou or I didn't explain something right, please don't hesitate to ask me in your review! I'll try to explain everything as less confusing as possible!

Review please!! 3 They're greatly appreciated!

~Tia-Chan~


	4. Where will the training be?

Alright presenting chapter 4! *Dramatic music* Sorry it took me so long DX I had to do chores and I was fighting a cold. I am well aware that I have made quite a few errors within the last chapters (Hence why I'm fixing them now XD). I apologize for that! Oh and this story is following the manga plot. Otherwise orihime would have gotten her powers after the bounts arc. (Or maybe before the battle? -ponders-) Anyways, Onward to the next chapter!!

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own bleach or any of the contents. Except for my character and Orihime's zanpakutou!**

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Everyone just gawked at her. How could Orihime heal everyone but herself? That made no sense to anyone. The only people who weren't surprised were Tia, Urahara, and Yoruichi. Cause they already knew.

"Tia-Dono, how could she heal everyone but herself? Is that even possible?" Rukia asked.

"The only reason why it's like that is because of the fact that she cares for others more than herself. If she cared about herself the way she cares for other people, she would be able to heal herself. But since she worries more about the people around her, she focuses all her energy on them. She's selfless that way. At first I was confused but then I asked Tia-San. And that's what she told me." Kisuke replied.

"It's the way her zanpakutou reacts. Since it's part of her soul, wouldn't it obey her orders? That's what all of your zanpakutous do right? They fight to protect you and help you in combat. Well, the same goes for Orihime, except she worries about healing and protecting more than fighting." Yoruichi added.

Just then they heard a groan from behind Rukia, Ichigo and Renji. They all turned to find Orihime waking up. Her eyes opened and she sat up. She yawned and rubbed her eyes before she turned to look at everyone.

"Where am I? What happened?" She asked. She didn't know why but everyone stared at her with worried looks on their faces.

"You don't remember? You healed all of us after Grimmjow attacked and then you felt weak and fainted. We're at Urahara's shop now." Renji replied.

"I see... So I really did faint huh? Wow that just happened randomly. I wasn't actually expecting to just faint out of no where. I guess healing took a lot more out of me than I thought." She put her finger to her mouth as she stared at the ceiling lost in thought.

_Man and here I was thinking I could actually make them worry less about me. And then I go and faint on them! I wish I was more stronger! So they wouldn't have to always protect me or watch over me!_

"So Orihime, you want to get stronger right?" Tia asked with a smirk.

"How did you know?"

"**Did you forget that we can read each others minds? We did it all the time when we were younger! Since you got really nervous at some of the things that happened and you didn't want to say anything so you just went with talking to me telepathically!"** She yelled. _How could she forget that?_

"Oh right sorry Tia! I guess I just forgot since we hadn't done that in a long time. I thought I had forgot to do that so I never went with it. Now I feel stupid" Orihime sighed.

"**Don't make me come over there.** I don't want you to put yourself down alright? You're not stupid. If you feel really dumb, then just get smarter! But enough about that. Let's just focus on getting your powers back to normal alright?" Tia asked calmly.

"Alright. I will try my best!"

"That's all we're asking of you Hime. Do your best and you will succeed!" Rukia chimed in.

"Orihime, where would you like to train? There are two places where you can't hurt anyone. The first place is in Kisuke's basement. You can fight Tia and get your powers back faster that way without hurting anyone. We could rearrange the basement into sort of a training ground for you. Or there's the second option which is an open field. Everyone will be watching but I will put a kido barrier around everyone so nothing gets in the way. You'll have all the space in the world so you can extend it as far as the barrier will allow." Yoruichi asked.

"I think I'll go with the open field. Since it's in the open and not to mention there's no roof so I won't blow anything up. I wouldn't want that although I could reject it so it returns to normal. Although I never tried rejecting objects." Orihime said as she pictured the roof being blown off the shop she was currently sitting in.

"Alright I'll go prepare the field then. Until I'm done stay here and talk with everyone. Try to get as much rest as possible before training with Tia." Yoruichi looked at the young girl.

"Thanks Yoruichi-San!" She smiled.

Yoruichi smiled as she left to go find a suitable field away from everyone. As they watched her walk out of the shop, Ichigo looked back at Orihime. He seriously couldn't believe that he was going to watch her fight this time. Normally he shielded her from combat due to her charming personality but after finding out the things about her, he wanted to see how she actually battled. Just the thought of her holding her zanpakutou and fighting made him smirk.

"So Orihime-San how do you feel?" Toushirou asked.

"I feel fine! Thanks Toushirou-Kun! How are everyone's injuries? Did my healing work alright? I haven't used my zanpakutou to heal anyone in a long time so I'm worried about the results-" She was blabbing on until Ichigo cut her off.

"We're all fine thanks to your powers Inoue. Don't worry everyone is fine. You don't have to go and start blabbing on about how your powers not working. We're seriously fine." He said. Sometimes it was annoying to hear her ramble on but he also found it cute how she would freak out like that.

_Wait, did I just say she was cute? Well, she is the third smartest kid in school and she does seem attractive. What am I saying?? I don't like Inoue like that! Do I? But I barely know her! But it also feels like I've known her my whole life... Even if I did like her, I wouldn't know if she likes me back. Besides there's no way she would like a guy like me! I'm just a punk with orange hair that gets me in trouble more than my personality. She's also the other leader of Soul Society. That's royalty! There's no way she could fall in love with someone like me! What am I thinking? Snap out of it Ichigo!_

Tia snickered. She was also able to read other people's minds. Not just Orihime's. So when she read Ichigo's thoughts she couldn't help but giggle quietly. She had to. If the others saw her they would be wondering if there was something wrong with her. She didn't want that happening.

"Orihime-Chan, are you actually able to stay a Shinigami without needing a gigai?" Rangiku's question snapped Ichigo out of his thoughts and Tia just looked at her sister.

"Well, that's what Tia told me when I was a kid. _"Why should we have to hide ourselves from the world?"_ She said that would just cause people to make fun of us for needing a gigai and that we had no control over our reiatsu. She also knew that nobody would see us since we're in spirit forms. So she taught me how to conceal my reiatsu without having to use one. She also said that it would make people suspicious and start to wonder why we would need one. Then there's the possibility that they would figure out that not only are we different, but we would also be someone who's really important. Tia didn't want others to find out that I was the other leader of Soul Society, not even Yamamoto-Sama. So she sealed off my Shinigami powers and my Shun Shun Rikka only to protect me." Orihime answered. This was the truth and Tia knew it. Obviously since she was the one who told her to begin with.

"Inoue-San, did you want to combine your Shun Shun Rikka with your zanpakutou? It would be a lot easier for you to use kido and your healing powers if they were connected since your hair pins do resemble a zanpakutou."

"Would I lose the hair pins?" That's all she wanted to know. They had sentimental value and she didn't want to lose them since it was the only gift she had from Sora. Aside from the shrine of him in her house.

"Of course not! All we do is put them on top of your blade. They'll sink in for a moment to release the powers within them. Once all the connections to your powers are out of the hair clips, they'll pop back out and you'll be able to keep them." Kisuke grinned.

"Alright then. Can we do it now?" Orihime asked anxiously.

"Of course! Just summon your zanpakutou and then place your hair clips onto the blade. One has to be on the tip while the other stays near the hilt."

Orihime stood up and transformed into a Shinigami. She then extended her hand out getting ready to release her zanpakutou. Everyone moved out of the way so they wouldn't get hit by the blade.

"Shine, ShiroRyuu." She called out as the blade appeared once again in front of everyone's eyes. The blade was still attached to her hand and she carefully laid it on the table. She then lifted her hands to grab at the hair clips that stayed at the sides of her head. She unclasped them, letting her bangs fall in front of her face and placed one on the tip of ShiroRyuu. She then placed the other one at the back where the hilt was.

Everyone watched as the hair clips sank into the blade. They saw ripples of blue covering the entire zanpakutou. It transformed the blade into a marble blue colour. It still shimmered due to the silver that was mixed in there as well. After what seemed like eternity, the pins popped out of their places and landed in their owners hands. Orihime quickly slid them back to secure her fallen bangs.

"Wow that didn't take long. I thought it would definitely take at least an hour or so." Renji commented.

"I guess it was because Orihime was concentrating on her powers. I mean it may not have looked that way, but she was staring at the blade so I guess you can say she was focused. But whatever. I'm just glad that it worked out. Besides now she doesn't have to worry about having two different weapons. She can just focus on her zanpakutou skills and such. So it's all good now." Tia added.

"Yeah at least I don't have to worry about Tsubaki being killed or anything. Like last time. I thought he was really gone but I guess ShiroRyuu healed him for me." Orihime looked down at her blade. She grasped it and flipped it over to look at all of her blade.

"So when does the training start anyways Tia-Dono?" Rukia asked.

"Well, we have to wait until Yoruichi comes back and tells us that the field has been prepared for fighting. So we have to wait until then I guess. Although I am getting restless just sitting her doing nothing. I've been doing that a lot lately. So it gets really annoying when you still have to do it for god knows how long. But I'm glad that my sister is alright." Tia grinned.

"I'm glad that you're back Tia-Dono. Things haven't been the same without you there to guide me and Renji through the hard times. I really did miss you though." Rukia smiled sadly.

"Well, I'm back now so no need to fret over the past. I'm just glad that you weren't executed and that Ichigo saved you with everyone's help. And I'm also glad to see that everyone has been trying to keep my sister safe. As long as everyone's alive I can't complain. But I can complain about how The Soul Society acts once in a while." She smirked.

"So how's everyone holding up in Soul Society Tia-Taichou?" Toushirou asked.

"Well, Ukitake is doing some research about the Hogyoku and why Aizen took it. They're doing some research about the king's key too just to be on the safe side. He said they would contact me once they found anything. But yeah everyone seems to be doing fine. Even Byakuya. He may not show it, but he's happy that Rukia's alive. I know he is. I mean she's his only family. So I know his position since Orihime's my only family too. Oh and they're also sending Momo down to the world of the living as well." Tia replied.

"Hinamori is coming? But why? Shouldn't she be resting?" Toushirou asked frantically.

"Relax Toushirou. The reason why they are is because I asked them too. Ikkaku and Yumichika are going back and they're sending Momo down. I made a request because I noticed that she hasn't been herself and the more she stays in Soul Society, the worse her condition will get. Everything there reminds her of Aizen. So if she came here, she could probably make a fresh clean start. Besides you two need to talk about what happened when she attacked you and such. I'm not meddling but I don't want to see anyone sad anymore. Besides Momo and Orihime would probably get along quite well I think. So maybe if someone else knew her situation and understood her, she would feel much more lively. I'm doing this for her sake. Remember I'm different than most leaders. I actually care for my captains and lieutenants. If they don't feel comfortable, then I'll do everything in my power to make them feel better. Like I won't force her or anything but I just think that she needs to be away from there for a bit. Maybe see what the world of the living is like and maybe she'll snap out of her depression over her captain disappearing on her." Tia explained calmly.

"Wait, Aizen was Momo's captain? Seriously? How come I never knew that?" Ichigo asked.

"Because you're a substitute soul reaper. You were once deemed an enemy to Seireitei remember? Not that I'm agreeing with them to begin with. What they did was wrong. Especially when I was gone. I don't remember actually making that law stating that soul reapers couldn't give their powers to humans. Plus I knew you were already a Shinigami just by seeing you break a kido. Well, the one Rukia put on you. And before you ask, yes I saw the whole thing. I watched over you silently. I needed to because of my sister. I felt the seal was starting to break so I had to check it out and make sure. And my suspicions were correct. As soon as they broke, I had to stay away from her cause I would've awoken her powers right then and there. I didn't want her to get her Shinigami powers back so soon so I stayed far away as possible. But then I ended up meeting back with her. Which I'm glad for." Tia replied.

"I feel bad for Momo-Chan. I would probably feel depressed too if my captain disappeared. Especially if I looked up to them as a role model. I would have been totally crushed. I wouldn't know if I could go on without them. I would probably have a mental breakdown like she did and maybe even go berserk. But I mean I'm glad that he disappeared. He deserves to die! I would've killed him if I was her. But when you have a special connection to them and then you kill that person, you feel as if you should be burdened with that memory forever. You may not be able to go back to that, but you can start anew and make up for your actions. At least that's what I think." Orihime replied.

Everyone stared at her. They knew her words were true but to actually hear someone as gentle as Orihime say them, it opened up their eyes to a new and different Orihime. One that was confident but protective too. Then again, they knew that she might change due to having these powers. But she shouldn't let them go to her head. At least they hoped that they wouldn't go to her head.

Just then Orihime felt something different. Something sinister but calming inside her. She didn't know what it was but she hoped that it wasn't something serious. Tia looked at her sister. _Man this isn't good. I have a feeling the worse is about to come._

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Meanwhile, Yoruichi had found the field perfect for the training.

_This is perfect. Time to get to work._

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**A/N:** So what did you think? Pretty good huh? Jeez I love cliffhangers! I guess it's because they give me inspiration to write the next chapter. They also help plan the next chapter. Which I'm glad for! *Phew*

Don't worry! It will revolve around Orihime more! And there will be some HitsuHina in here! Just because I think they're an adorable couple too! RenRuki will be in here too. But it will take some time to get them together obviously. ^^

What does Tia mean by the worse has yet to come? What is happening inside of Orihime? What will become of her Shinigami powers? Is this sinister presence something that will change everything? You'll have to find out in future chapters!

Anyways Hope you liked this chapter! Please Review! :3

~Tia-Chan~


	5. The Evil Within

Presenting Chapter 5! YAY! Already 5 chapters! I have to start making them longer. Of course I might actually skip the part about Ichigo controlling his powers. Or maybe I'll shorten it. Haven't decided that yet. I don't want this story to go for too long. Sometimes that makes people bored. But I'll try to be as fast as possible with the updates! ^^

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own bleach!**

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_Previously:_

_Just then Orihime felt something different. Something sinister but calming inside her. She didn't know what it was but she hoped that it wasn't something serious. Tia looked at her sister. Man this isn't good. I have a feeling the worse is about to come._

_Meanwhile, Yoruichi had found the perfect field for the training._

_This is perfect. Time to get to work._

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**~Open field~**

Yoruichi began to use her kido to make a barrier around the field. It had to be big enough to not only fit everyone in to watch, but give those two space to fight without hurting the others. She should've asked how big to make it but she decided to see how big the place was first. Since this field had no grass, just rock it was perfect for fighting. _Man this might be harder than I thought._

**~Urahara Shoten~**

Everyone looked at Orihime. She just went completely silent after saying bad things about Aizen. It wasn't like her to diss someone like that. But she couldn't help it. It was like someone possessed her to say that and she couldn't stop them. It was like her mouth was taken over and she couldn't stop. No, she _wouldn't_ stop.

"Orihime-San, did you just diss Aizen?" Renji was the first one to speak up. In the short time he knew her, he never expected her to say such things. It was like she was reading everyone's thoughts.

"**Yeah. I did. Why? I mean you probably would've too right? All of you think he should die. That's why we're training for the stupid war. It's no big deal. I'm just stating my opinion. Is that hard to believe? Well, okay I guess it's hard to believe since you've known me as being nice. But Aizen has no niceness in him. He's pure hatred. I'm telling you PURE HATRED!**" She practically screeched at them. Her eyes started to change to dark green. Orihime glared at them before grabbing her zanpakutou and ran out the door, She never looked back. Just kept running.

Everyone just stared with wide eyes out the front door. Before they knew it, she disappeared in front of their eyes. They had never seen her like this before. It was. **Dark**. **Twisted**. **Tainted**. **EVIL**.

"Tia-Dono... Was... that...?" Rukia asked hesitantly.

"You got it. Her evil side. Also known as Demi, the JigokuRyuu.. Referred to as the demonic twin of ShiroRyuu. However instead of being black like the opposite of Shiro, She's actually dark green. Darker than Toushirou's eyes. And that's not an understatement. It's the truth."

Everyone gawked at each other. The innocent Orihime has a more evil, more tainted side. One that may be worse than Aizen.

"You guys don't have to worry. Demi won't attack us. **YET**. Her main goal is Aizen right now. See, she loathes whoever Orihime loathes. Since Orihime is her master, she has to obey. But there are times where my sister has doubts and without knowing it, Demi takes over. Says the things Orihime doesn't want to say out loud. Basically, she voices all of Orihime's evil thoughts to everyone so we know what she's truly thinking. There are times where she won't say anything though. She'll just use her hatred to add more fuel onto the fire that's already been spilt. She'll take advantage of Orihime and use her weaknesses to gain the upper hand. But she does it because Orihime wants her to. If my sister didn't want to attack somebody, she lets Demi do it since she has no regrets about it. She never hesitates when it comes to fighting. She's the hidden power that Orihime keeps sealed." Tia assured everyone.

Ichigo turned to look at Tia. "So what you're saying is, Inoue is letting Demi take over so no one gets hurt?"

"That's exactly what she's doing. Actually, now that I think about it, it's similar to what you do Ichigo."

"What do you mean by that Tia-Taichou?" Toushirou asked.

"Well, see when Ichigo is backed into a corner with no way out, his hollow kicks in and takes over. It's mainly to protect him I think. See, Ichigo's hollow is different. It has feelings cause it's inside Ichigo. So obviously, it has some emotions. But when it comes to fighting, it acts on instinct. Since it knows who the enemy is, he won't hesitate so easily. I also know that the hollow knows that if Ichigo dies, he does too. So he'll do anything to keep his master alive. Same goes with Demi. If Orihime dies, Demi goes along with her. Not to mention the fact that when Ichigo lets his guard down, the hollow will find its way. When he has doubts during fights, his hollow sees an opening so he goes for it. That doesn't mean he's weak. It means that even Ichigo feels guilty for killing someone. Even if it's the only choice, Ichigo can't help but feel like a murderer for killing them. But if he has to do it to save others, then he'll do it." Tia replied.

"So what you're saying is, if I want to control my hollow, I have to let him fight once in a while?" Ichigo asked.

"It would probably help. He wants to fight. Because you want to fight. He wants to protect you because you want to protect others. Like I just said, if you die, then he does too. He wouldn't want that. Although it also could be cause of pride. Ichigo, you're taking his pride away by keeping him pent up. If you let him fight when you're weak, you'll get used to his powers and then you won't have to depend on him unless it's a death situation. If you want, I can help you contain him. But I'm just saying that hollows that live inside people, feel what their masters feel."

"You'll help Ichigo?" Rukia asked.

"Rukia, what kind of a question is that? I'm probably one of the few who could help him. Although I'm only doing this because I know how he felt. Yes I am just like Orihime. I have a demonic side. But I only let her come out when I need her to. She knows what will happen if she tries to possess me. She gets **punished." **Tia smirked.

"I just hope Orihime-Chan is alright. How long will she be gone for?" Rangiku questioned worriedly.

"She'll be fine. If anything she's probably destroying mountains or rocks. Demi loves doing that. It helps get her anger out. If there are any hollows, don't bother. She'll destroy them in one shot. Trust me, she's fine." Tia smiled.

**~Somewhere far away~**

Orihime was so mad. How could Renji judge her like that? She never knew what snapped within her but her demonic side took over. She was just destroying everything in her path. With one swing, it was gone. As if it was being erased from existance. Before she knew it, she was standing in a barren wasteland. All the mountains were gone. There were no trees. No sign of life anywhere. Just her looking up at the sky. Wondering if she was ever going to fight against Aizen. Take revenge for everyone who had to suffer through everything he had ever done.

Orihime was standing inside her inner world. She had no idea how she got there, but it made her feel at peace. Somehow she truly felt like she was free. From pain and sadness. No one could tell her what to do or put her down. Or even protect her. This was **her** world. And no one could ever enter. It was forbidden. No one could lay a finger on her. She was safe from hollows.

She started to walk around when she saw a dark green dragon staring at her. The eyes were yellow with black irises. She looked similar to one of the characters in her video game. But she couldn't remember who. The building was a tall skyscraper. The clouds were dark green and black. Looked like a twister would hit any moment.

"Who are you?" She asked the inner demon.

"**My name is Demi. I am Shiro's twin sister. I am evil. You can clearly tell. I hate that stupid Bitch Rukia! The way she was sitting beside Ichigo, acting all worried. It makes me sick. I don't know why you saved her. She should've been executed. Things would've been better without her around. I can't believe you're friends with someone like her."**

"How can you think that? She's really nice. But I do have to admit I am jealous of her. But only cause she can make Kurosaki-Kun himself. She's more prettier and more independent. I hate myself for being so weak. I saw the look in his eyes. When I was healing her, he was blaming himself for her getting hurt. He felt weak. I could tell. Although he never said it, I could tell he was thinking it. I guess it just hurt when I felt that he cares for her more than me. I feel so alone."

"**Don't cry. It'll make you look more weak. I understand that you told this to Rangiku. I really like her. Don't know why. She seems more motherly to me though. Actually a perverted mother. But whatever. You have every right to be jealous of her. You should hate her for acting like she's better than you. Don't hide behind that facade you keep around yourself. If you expressed yourself, maybe it would be better for everyone. But when you're sad or mad, just give me all your grief and we'll use it to be more powerful. I'll help you become a better person. I'll help you be free of all those annoying feelings you humans have. If you're that jealous of her, then just kill her. If you don't want to, let me take over and I'll kill her for you. Unlike that Ichigo, I'll protect you from what really matters. Got that?"**

"I get it. You're just trying to help me. I appreciate it. But even if I wanted to kill her. Not saying I want to. But I don't think I could actually go through with it. Not just because Kurosaki-kun would protect her, but because the others will be around. They would even die just to keep her alive. I don't think I would have it in me to kill them."

"**Like I said, the more pent up the feelings will be, the more power it will give me. I won't hesitate at all. No worries. But if you don't want to kill them just yet, I get it. They're your friends. But I'm telling you, if she tries to say anything or do something to him, I will kill her without your permission. Do you understand that? I'm different from everyone. I won't lose to stupid things like feelings. One day you won't care about them and you will go insane. That isn't a threat, it's a promise."**

"I understand. I won't resort to that just yet. I think I need to wield you first. That way it's easier to kill hollows without getting injured. Or relying on you to take over all the time. I'll show them how strong I really am. That way I can truly kill everyone's pride and honour. They won't pity me and think of me as someone who needs protection. They'll think of me as someone that can defend myself. And not need any help from them." Orihime grinned evily.

"_**That's fine with me. Take all the time you need princess. But once you let your guard down, I will take full possession of you and use you until I can actually roam the earth myself. I'll do anything to get your powers and fully destroy all of Seireitei and the Soul Society. I'll do what Aizen couldn't. Become a true god." Demi laughed evilly.**_

**~Open Field~**

_Finally it's done! _Yoruichi exclaimed as she looked at the masterpiece she had created. She was very proud of herself. But she tried her best to make it as durable as possible for the training.

_Time to let the others know. _Yoruichi ran towards Urahara Shoten to tell them the news.

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**A/N:** This is where I'll stop! YAY another Cliffie! ^^ OMG I'm getting caught up with myself XD.

Jigoku means hell btw, I wanted to say demonic but I didn't know the Japanese word for it so i went with Hell since it's evil.

What do you think of Orihime's evil half? Pretty interesting huh? Sorry that she hates Rukia's guts. But this is my story so i'll put whatever I want *grins*.

Oh and Demi looks similar to Rayquaza btw. I couldn't fully add that in the description cause it would've been a cross over and I didn't want that to happen. So when Demi takes over, imagine Rayquaza!

I got the idea of Orihime being the evil one cause i saw some people on mangafox have a discussion about Ichigo vs Orihime. Some people were saying that Orihime might become evil cause Grimmjow said something was wrong with her on the inside and Ulquiorra said she was one of them. So I decided to sort of write what I thought into this fanfic!

Anyways, review please! Let me know what you think of the new Orihime! *snickers*

~Tia-Chan~


	6. Rukia's feelings,Orihime's disappearance

OMG CHAPTER 6!! YAY! LOL got out of hand! But I'm proud! This story is liked by so many people! And they even give me nice compliments ^^. Momo, Chad, and Uryu finally make their appearance! YAY! So sorry it took so long to get them in here. It was just I wanted Tia's personality to be presented and Orihime's split personality to be focused on more. And I had to make Yoruichi less known by everyone. So sorry! She will be in here more! Don't worry! Jeez I keep making the important characters less known. *shakes head*. Anyways presenting Chapter 6!

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN BLEACH!**

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**~Urahara Shoten~**

Everyone sat there in silence. Trying to figure out what to do next. To be honest they had no idea what was going to happen. Since Orihime disappeared after her outburst, no one said a word. Tia was texting so many people at once. It sounded like she was actually typing on a computer. Everyone gawked at her when they saw how fast she typed with one hand. She sighed.

"Well, none of my friends who live far from here have seen or heard from my sister. Damn where the hell did she fucking go??" She smashed her fist on the table.

Just then her cell phone starting to ring.

"Hello? Oh, hi Yoruichi! What's up?"

"_Hey, Tia. I just wanted to say that the field is all prepared for the training session with your sister. I was wondering if you could come check it out to see if it's good enough for you?"_

"Yeah sure Yoruichi, I'll be there in a second with Kisuke. I need to tell you something anyways. And I need both of you there."

"_Alright, I'll see you two in a bit." _

The phone line went dead. Tia sighed once again. _Damn, I have a feeling something bad will happen while I'm gone._

"Who was that Tia-Dono?" Rukia asked.

"That was Yoruichi. The field is prepared and she wants me to go check it out. So Kisuke is coming with me. I need to talk to you two alone. It's nothing bad." She lied.

"Alright, shall we get going?" Kisuke asked.

"Yeah. The faster we get there, the sooner we can deal with this crap. Oh and Momo should be coming very soon. So once she does, fill her in on everything. Same goes for Chad and Uryu. I want them informed on this so they're not left out of the loop. You can tell them about me too. Well, Momo already knows about me. But yeah. We shouldn't be gone too long. So until we get back, start training."

"Hai!" They all agreed.

With a nod, Tia and Kisuke left.

"So Hitsugaya-Taichou, what happens now?" Renji asked.

"Well, I think we should wait for the three to get here. Once we explain to them everything that's going on right now, We should split off and start our training. Me and Rangiku will go back to Orihime-San's house and wait for her there. She might turn up. In the case she doesn't we'll have to regroup and think of something else."

Just then Chad, Uryu, and Momo appeared inside the shop and were explained everything.

**~Battle field~**

Tia and Kisuke got there to see Yoruichi standing there, looking off in the distance. She felt their reiatsu and turned to look at them.

"I'm glad you could make it." She smiled.

"Yeah sorry, I'm trying to find my sister. She ran off. Demi took over her and now she's gone. I can't sense her anywhere. Demi must have hid their presence so we don't know where to find them." Tia sighed.

"Man, Tia-Chan you've been sighing a lot! You need to relax a bit." Kisuke mentioned.

"Yeah well, when your sister just disappears without saying where she's headed, you would be worried. I just hope that Demi hasn't taken over her yet. Cause if she does, we are in so much trouble."

"Exactly how much danger can she cause Tia? Is this why you wanted to talk to us? To give us a warning about Demi?" Yoruichi questioned.

"Pretty much. Look if something happens that involves Rukia and Ichigo, Orihime will be taken over. I know how much she loves him. She's already jealous about the fact that Rukia can cheer Ichigo up and all she can do is cause him pain. If one of them confesses their love to the other while she's around, oh man, they're so dead. That's not a threat either. That's a promise." Tia warned.

"Oh I see. So that's why you couldn't say anything over the phone. **IF** you did, everyone would've heard about it and that would've made everything worse right?"

"Yeah. I don't want anything to happen that will trigger Demi. One wrong move from us, and she'll be unleashed into this world. And Aizen will be the least of our worries."

Kisuke and Yoruichi looked at her with shock. They couldn't believe it. She's stronger than Aizen? Well it does make sense since she is Tia's sister and she could kill Aizen. But is Orihime actually stronger than Tia?

"Now I know what you're thinking. Demi is almost more stronger than me. **ALMOST**. But not quite. The only way she's stronger than me is if Orihime is fully taken over. In other words, if Orihime is sleeping within herself, Demi can do whatever she wants with her body." Tia replied with a smirk.

"Anyways, so what do you think of the field? Is this good enough for you two to fight in?" Yoruichi asked. She wanted to change subjects for now.

"This is perfect! This will definitely work for the training Yoruichi! Good Job!" Tia praised her.

"I'm glad you like it! I tried my best to make this field as durable and stable as possible for the two of you. Since the training might be rough." She added.

"Good Job Yoruichi-San! This is definitely one of your best pieces yet! I'm pretty sure Tia and Orihime-San will be happy with training in here." Kisuke spoke.

"Oh and there's one other thing to mention to you two about Demi. There is only two ways for her to die. The first way, is if Orihime dies. The other way however, is if Orihime kills her with her own hands."

**~Urahara Shoten~**

"So that's what has been happening while we were gone? Inoue-San is a soul reaper? And not just any normal one, the leader of Seireitei? Wow that's a lot to get used to. And her sister is the other leader? Wow how many leaders are there? I hope only two otherwise I can't imagine how Soul Society would be like with that many leaders. And the fact that she has an evil side that's very dangerous. Man, talk about a major dilemma right there." Uryu commented. He couldn't fathom something like this. Especially something like this happening to Orihime. Someone who wouldn't hurt a fly.

"You're also saying she disappeared after Renji asked her about dissing Aizen? I never knew Orihime would actually do that. She would always try to find the goodness in someone, not diss them. Well, this does change a lot of things." Chad commented.

"Orihime-San is Tia-Sama's sister?? Wow I heard she had family but I never thought it would be someone like Orihime! She has a completely different personality from Tia-Sama! She dissed _that_ man? Nice! I wish I was there to see it! But what do we do now? If Orihime-Sama disappeared out of the blue, how are we going to find her?" Momo questioned afterwards.

"That's the problem. We don't know where she is or if she's coming back. She seemed really upset when I asked her about it. Her alter ego took over after that. We saw it. Her eyes, they turned dark green. And black was starting to shroud around them too before she took off. Tia-Taichou has been trying to track her down but so far, no luck whatsoever. Right now she went with Kisuke to see Yoruichi about the battlefield she made for the two of them to train. Maybe Orihime-San is just training somewhere? So she can wield her zanpakutou better? I know I would do that if I was in her position at the moment." Renji stated.

"She's probably confused about this new sensation flowing through her. It might not go to her head, but I'm worried that it might be too much for her to handle. She probably doesn't want to hurt any of us which is why she ran off. At least that's what I think." Rangiku commented.

"Well, I hope you're right this time Rangiku. Cause I have a feeling that all of us may be wrong to judge Orihime-San's powers. Even though she's a sweet, innocent soul, She can still get corrupted with just one wrong move from us. Doesn't matter who sets her off, cause it'll affect us all the same. Maybe that's what Tia-Taichou is scared of." Toushirou added.

"I just hope you're all right about this. Normally I can sense her reiatsu, but this time it's different. I can't feel her at all. I know I suck at sensing reiatsu, but for some reason, Inoue's comes to me more easier than others. Something tells me this has Demi written all over it." Ichigo spoke.

Just then Rukia's Soul pager went off.

"Six hollows? Why are there so many? They're surrounding Orihime's apartment. But why? She's not there is she?" Rukia asked.

"Well, whatever the case is, we still have to go after them. Come on Rukia! You've been lazy when it came to hollow duty so you're coming with me." Ichigo nagged.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Just get going. I'm right behind you." Rukia smirked.

The two left out the door before Uryu had the chance to speak.

"Is it me, or could this be a trap?" Uryu asked.

"Why do you ask Uryu?" Renji looked confused.

"Cause something doesn't add up. If Inoue-San isn't at her apartment, why would they go there? Unless something lured them towards her apartment."

"Well, her reiatsu is all around her apartment since she does live there. Wouldn't it make sense if they were lured to it?" Chad asked.

"Maybe. But I just have a weird feeling that something seems out of place."

**~Orihime's Apartment~**

As Rukia and Ichigo shunpo'd over rooftops to get towards Orihime's flat, they noticed the huge amount of hollows surrounding her window. Finally they landed gracefully on the ground and started slicing the hollows heads. They were weak hollows but each time they sliced one another attacked. Could there really only be six? Or was there more coming each time? What was so appealing in Orihime's flat that they were drawn there? Was she truly here?

Those questions continued to haunt Ichigo and Rukia's minds. After one last slash, they were all gone. Ichigo sighed as he reattached Zangetsu on his back. Rukia placed Sode No Shirayuki back within it's sheath.

What they never expected to happen, actually did happen. Rukia was walking towards Ichigo and looked up at him. She was pale and red at the same time. She had a huge blush. What they never knew was one of the hollows had placed some kind of fog over her when she slashed it. So she was in control of her emotions but she couldn't control her actions.

"I-Ichigo.. I need to tell you something. I don't care if you accept what I'm about to say or not, but I'm gonna tell you anyways." She looked up at Ichigo as he stared down at her. Which made her blush even more.

She looked back at the ground as Ichigo stood there. He just couldn't take his eyes off her face. She was blushing so much. He thought she got a fever from fighting with the hollows. But then again anything is possible with Rukia. She could just be embarrassed for what she's gonna say to him but he wished she would hurry a bit so they could check Inoue's apartment to see if she's really there.

"I-I guess what I'm trying to say is... I love you Ichigo." She whispered.

Although Ichigo had to strain to hear what she said, he couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it. He never liked Rukia that way. Never will. He only likes her as a sister and besides that idiot Renji loves her. So if he actually said the same thing to Rukia, it would be a lie. But despite that he still couldn't say it. He would feel bad for saying it he realized. But he couldn't lie to her and say he loves her back. She doesn't deserve that especially from him. Someone who saved her life and who saved his life. She deserved to know the truth, no matter how hard it was for him to say it. _Be a man!_

"R-Rukia... I'm sorry but I-" He was cut off to hearing her voice.

"No, Ichigo! I don't want to hear it. It would hurt too much. Please don't say it!" She practically screamed through tears.

"I'm serious though. Rukia I don't-" She cut him off again by pressing her lips to his. His eyes widen and he stiffened. He had never expected Rukia to kiss him. It felt like desperation. _She would do anything just to get me to be hers. _He realized then. But what kind of a relationship would that be? Wouldn't it only be one-sided love? He never felt this way. Definitely not with Rukia. He felt her arms wrap around his neck, trying to deepen the kiss. But Ichigo wouldn't allow it.

Ichigo shoved Rukia off of him. "Damn, I'm fucking serious Rukia. I don't like you that way. I never have and I never will."

Rukia looked at him in shock. The tone in his voice scared her. "So does that mean you like Orihime then?"

**"What the hell? I don't love Inoue! I don't love anybody! I can't love her! She's just a friend! Nothing more, nothing less." **He yelled.

They never realized that it started raining or that a certain auburn haired girl saw the whole thing. She just stood there. Gawking and her eyes started to change colours. They were going dark green and the black was starting to shroud her eyes. Before Demi took over, she ran. Demi had already warned her that if Rukia laid a finger on Ichigo, she would kill her on the spot. She had to run. Her heart was broken. No one could mend those scars that now laid on her chest. She would never feel the same.

The note on her coffee table would be found and before they could stop her, she would already be in Hueco Mundo. She will have murdered Aizen and took revenge for everyone that suffered. She would already be too depressed to stop Demi either. She would just let her do her thing. And not interfere. Not even when the others come to find her. She would let her hatred take over. And destroy anything in her path.

He looked down into her violet eyes with a sad expression. "I'm sorry Rukia. You're just more like a sister to me. I can't keep leading you on if that's what I'm even doing. I just thought that you should know that. But Renji does love you, and you should be with him. He deserves you more than I do."

Just then they looked up at the sky to see the rain falling and the sky was black.

"What the Hell? When did it start raining? I don't remember seeing any dark clouds showing up."

"Well, we should hurry and go back to Urahara Shoten to check up on the others."

As they continued to head back Rukia looked at Ichigo. "Thank you." Was all she whispered.

**~BattleField~**

_What the hell? When did it start raining? Those clouds weren't there a second ago._ Tia's eyes widened. _OH FUCK! DON'T TELL ME SHE-_

"Guys we have to get back. **NOW**!" She yelled at Kisuke and Yoruichi.

"Why? what's wrong Tia?"

"There's only one other person who can summon rain through their emotions. And I think i might know who it was and why."

**~Urahara Shoten~**

They immediately shunpo'd as fast as they could towards the shop. They got there in no time and they busted through the doors to see everyone there. Everyone looked at them with confused looks.

"Fuck, guys I have some bad news and I don't think you're going to like it all too well. It's something that can change everything that we've been training for. Something that's way worse than Aizen."

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**A/N:** A CLIFFIE! OMG I am so getting better at writing more! YAY I hope this makes IchiRuki fans happy XD

See I read on this Ichgo VS. Orihime theory on MF that Orihime might turn evil due to jealousy towards Rukia and Ichigo. So I decided to put that into my fanfic! I sort of believe in that but I believe more that Aizen had corrupted her with the Hogyoku or with his zanpakutou.

Sorry but that's the only IchiRuki scene you will see in this fanfic! DX It's not that I hate the couple. It's just that I see them more as siblings. I will explain the fog thing either next chapter or in the 8th chapter.

From now on, it will be IchiHime, RenRuki, HitsuHina, YorUra, GrimmNel, and RanGin. Oh and Toushirou and Momo are already together. I just couldn't really write it in this chapter. But next chapter you will see more of that! I promise ^^

Please Review ^^

~Tia-Chan~


	7. Destination: Hueco Mundo

Alright here is Chapter 7! A warning for everyone now, from this chapter to like the rest of the story, there will be more swearing! I feel like I should switch it from T to M but I never actually thought about the whole thing, DX I'm also a procrastinator but that will happen more when I start high school. In like 1 week. But I will update as much as possible! I'm happy cause for the first semester, I'm taking Spanish and the second semester I'm taking Japanese! =) YAY! LOL sorry for the randomness! Grimmjow and Nel may appear in this chapter or the next one. Still haven't really decided yet. :( But I sure hope I can type a lot more now that it's getting more serious. I guess this story falls under different categories so I have no idea which two they mainly fall under. DX GAH! It's so damn annoying . Oh and the last chapter was supposed to be Rukia's feelings, Ichigo's reaction, Orihime's disappearance. But that was too long hence why I cut it down. Aside from that, let's get this chapter underway! W00t!

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN BLEACH!**

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**~Tia's POV~**

Everyone stared at me. I noticed that Ichigo or Rukia weren't in the room. I wondered why, but I couldn't bring myself to actually ask since the tension was so thick, not even a zanpakutou could slice through. But I suppose it was my fault since I just randomly announced that something was way worse than Aizen. But how the hell am I supposed to tell everyone that Orihime was the reason why there was this huge ass storm? I don't know if anyone would actually believe that. Except for Yoruichi and Kisuke. But that's cause they know that from experience. I actually need to find out what happened to her first before I go and tell them this. And Ichigo and Rukia aren't even back yet, so it's pointless to tell everyone but them. I should check her house.

Before I could let anyone talk, I bolted out the front door. I switched to Shunpo instead of just plain running cause that would be wasting time and energy. If there's one thing I really hate, it's wasting energy for no random reason at all when I could use it for something more important like fighting. Before I realized where I was, I found myself in her living room. Her reiatsu was everywhere so it was really hard to tell where to start looking. But I ended up realizing that her reiatsu was more stronger in one specific location. Her bedroom.

I headed straight for the bedroom, not bothering to take off my shoes. Since I figured that they weren't really dirty or anything so it's not like she'll notice anyway. As I entered the room, I could also feel Rangiku's reiatsu mingling within hers. Although it wasn't as strong since she was just in here. There was a bit of evil within her own reiatsu which means that Demi hasn't fully taken over yet. I sighed. That was a very good thing. It meant there was still some time. I suppose Rangiku had to stay somewhere while she was here. And my guess was Toushirou was staying here too cause he feels that leaving Rangiku alone would be a terrible mistake. I'm glad he chose to stay here. Otherwise, who knows what would've happened while Rangiku stayed here. But I'm pretty sure he stayed on the roof. So he could get away from Rangiku when he had to. I sighed. Well as long as she was alright with it, that's all that mattered to me.

I started to wander around her room. Just taking quick glances around to see if anything was out of place. I noticed that it was really neat and clean so she must have tidied up before leaving. But I didn't expect her room to be so tidy since Rangiku was here and she was a messy person. I seriously love her as a mother, but she can be really childish and messy. Sometimes I feel like I'm the child who has to take care of the mother because she decided to go and get drunk or something. Before I gave up looking, I noticed that there was something lying on the middle of her table. I gulped. This didn't look good from where I was standing. I walked over to the table and noticed that it was a letter. It was folded in half but when I picked it up, it was addressed to me. _Crap this cannot be a good thing. _When I unfolded it, I noticed the lettering right away. Orihime wrote this. I decided to read the letter. Once I finished reading it, my eyes widened. _Dammit._

**~Toushirou's POV~**

It was so weird. One second Tia-Taichou literally breaks the door down and tells us that something is seriously wrong. The next second, she ends up bolting out of Urahara's place freaking out. But something tells me that we're gonna find out sooner or later. I noticed Uryu Ishida, the Quincy, looking very tense since Tia-Taichou left. I guess even he knows that something is out of place. I think he knew that from the very beginning but didn't know how to say anything. Then again, even if I knew something was suspicious, I don't think I'd be able to explain it either. I was so lost in thought that I almost missed Momo's question.

"Shiro-Kun, Will everything be okay? Tia-Sama seemed very tense or nervous. I can't really put my finger on it, but I think she knows something that not even we know. And I'm scared."

"I honestly don't know Momo, but I do know it's nothing to fear. We don't even know why she freaked out like that. So don't worry just yet. That will ruin your health and I don't want you going back to the hospital because of stress. Okay?"

Momo looked at me and nodded her head slowly. Then she smiled. I held her hand to show her that my words were true. She squeezed my hand to assure me that she heard my words. I gave her a small grin in return. Just then Ichigo and Rukia came through the door.

**~Rukia's POV~**

Well, this is really odd. We got back to Urahara's but Tia-Dono wasn't in sight. Kisuke and Yoruichi were back but just sat there, staring at the floor. Everyone else just stayed silent. Even Renji and he normally causes a riot when we get back. But something about how they look made me feel really nervous. I couldn't find it in myself to ask them anything. Ichigo ended up asking instead.

"Where's Tia-San?"

"We don't know. She told us that there was a situation way worse than Aizen, but before we could ask her what it was, she bolted out the front door, which you can clearly see." Uryu replied, pointing at the broken door.

"We think something happened to Orihime-San." Renji chipped in.

"What happened to her? She didn't get hurt did she?" I asked. Man if something happened to Orihime, Tia-Dono would be very upset. From the corner of my eyes I noticed Ichigo went tense when I asked.

"No one knows. She hasn't returned yet. But the way Tia-Taichou stormed out of here did not seem so good. She just froze at the door and stared at us. I think she was looking for you two. Cause as soon as she glanced around the room, she literally zoomed out of here." Renji confirmed.

Just then everyone heard footsteps approach from behind me and Ichigo. We turned around to see none other than Tia-Dono. Seriously, the way she looked really scared me. She was so pissed off, her eyes went darker.

"**SIT. NOW."**

**~Normal POV~**

Tia looked at everyone. Everyone was so freaked out, Tia was able to see the fear in their eyes. If they thought she was scary, wait until they hear about Orihime.

She stepped into the room and sat down right beside Yoruichi. Her normal spot. No one argued about it. When Tia was mad, they knew to never question her otherwise they would have to deal with her wrath. They would wait patiently, until Tia was ready to talk. But judging by her reaction to seeing Rukia and Ichigo, she was really furious. The only thing they couldn't figure out was why.

"Tia? What did you find out?" Yoruichi asked calmly.

She closed her eyes. Her reiatsu was so damn strong because of her rage. All of a sudden it was easier to breathe in the room again. She managed to control her anger so it didn't suffocate anyone in this room. It's bad enough she had to tell them that Orihime is now in Hueco Mundo and once they get there, Aizen will be dead.

Her eyes opened up revealing her light blue eyes. They were calmer than the ocean but they still held seriousness within them. Everyone was just watching, waiting for Tia to say what was on her mind. Minutes went by and the waiting was agonizing.

"Well, it's official. Demi has officially gotten full possession of my sister's powers." Tia spoke calmly.

Everyone gawked at her. _No way. How did that happen?_ That was the main question that flooded their minds.

Tia sighed. "I'll start explaining. See, I figured out that Demi can only possess her "**master**" if something shocking or terrifying would happen to someone she cares about. When we were younger, Orihime first got Demi because we were under attack and due to that, we had to get separated. I was the only family she had since our real parents abandoned us due to what we were. We had different coloured hair and extraordinary powers that could change the world. At least that's what it said in the legends. Both mine and Orihime's zanpakutou have different legends they fall under. But because of that reason, we had to get separated from one other. It was actually meant that way because I am the moon and she is the sun. We both appear at opposite times. Some think the sun is better because it's bright and casts away the shadows. Others think the moon is better because it shines within the darkness. It has something different from the sun, and the sun has something different from the moon. They're opposites so it's only natural that me and Orihime would have these powers. At least that's what Kisuke came up with when he was one of the captains. It was destined that the one born as the moon would be the proper heir to Soul Society. It was also proclaimed that the one born as the sun was known as the inferior one out of the two. Dunno why, not even up to this day either. So I figured that because of a certain attack that was held by Aizen years ago, it was the best chance and maybe the only chance I had at making Orihime live in a peaceful world. That's why she's here and her powers were sealed off. But because Demi was slowly developing while she was secretly here, in the world of the living. I had to go live with Aizen because that was the agreement. If I didn't go, he would've destroyed all of Soul Society without showing any mercy to anyone. He used my status as the leader in order to secretly get the Hogyoku from Rukia's body. The only thing that he doesn't know was that the one that he stole from Rukia was a fake."

Everyone gasped. Except for Kisuke and Yoruichi.

"Tia-Dono, the one within me was a fake? But I thought Urahara only made one. How could there be two?"

"It was easy. With my powers I was able to make a fake. It looks exactly like the real one which is why it looked like he got it from your body. It can even use the same amount of power as the real one. The major difference is that it takes twice as long to regenerate. And the real one is sealed within someone else. But I'm pretty sure you can figure out who it's hidden in based on what I just told you."

"Are you saying, that **INOUE** has the **REAL HOGYOKU**?" Ichigo yelled.

"Wow I'm surprised you caught onto that faster than everyone else Ichigo. Sorry according to everyone else, you're pretty dumb with important things. I don't think that now. But yes, she does have the real one hidden within her. And it was the perfect place too. Reason why is because with her Shinigami powers sealed off, the Hogyoku could not have been detected. Since her powers are very rare like mine, she would've tipped off that she had it. That's why I sealed her Shinigami powers to begin with. You're lucky I did, cause if I didn't, Aizen would've killed Karakura Town and all of its inhabitants already. He would've been unstoppable by now and you would've all been probably dead. See, the Hogyoku has the ability to create Vizards. Which is what Ichigo is and same with Shinji and his little gang. That's how Vizards were created in the first place. Because Kisuke did an experiment with the Hogyoku and it resulted in them turning from Shinigami into the Hollow/Shinigami hybrid. That's why Kisuke got banned from Soul Society. Same with Tessai. Yoruichi left with them so she was marked as a traitor because of it. Hence why, she's not in the Soul Society anymore. And based on what I told you, Shinji and the others were either Vice captains or Captains of the Gotei 13 before half of you were even born or training to become Shinigami. Me and Orihime were still young but she was my Vice captain at the time and I was the actual leader. I still am, Isn't it amazing how I don't look old like Yamamoto? I'm just kidding. But getting serious again, Because her powers are back and someone in this room triggered off Demi, Orihime ran off to Hueco Mundo."

"No wonder why I can't sense her anywhere. But why did she leave? What's her purpose for going to Hueco Mundo?" Uryu asked.

Tia looked straight into everyone's eyes and said "To kill Aizen."

**~Hueco Mundo~**

"**Well, well, well so this is Hueco Mundo. Seems like a bland place if you ask me huh Princess?"** Demi asked. She was in full control now and she wasn't going to hold back anymore. Not since Orihime stepped down from the throne and let her take over. Things would be done her way. And Orihime was going to watch the whole thing from start to finish.

"..." Orihime didn't say anything. She turned into a mute. Finding out that the one boy she had always loved with her very heart will never think of her as more than a friend made her shatter. She was sitting in her room in the only skyscraper in her hidden world. No one would find her here. She would just watch, from a perfect view, everything that was happening. And since the Hogyoku's powers were awakened because of her Shinigami powers, Demi could do whatever she wanted. It wasn't in Orihime's power anymore to stop her. If she wanted to kill, she could gladly do it. No more interruptions or holding back. But Demi was a nice person. So she decided to kill Aizen first and show everyone that she meant business. Once he was out of the way, Orihime knew that she would kill Rukia first. Without a doubt, that would be her first victim. But Orihime requested that they would fight in Hueco Mundo so no necessary people would get killed. Especially if they weren't involved in this war.

"**Still not talking? Oh well, even if you did talk, you wouldn't be able to stop me. Not since you gave me your free will and power. I will show you how it feels to kill freely. Without holding back for anyone or anything. And the perfect example of this is to kill your greatest enemy from the day you were born. Sosuke Aizen. He's the reason everything is messed up. It's his fault for separating us from our beloved sister. He shall pay. WITH. HIS. LIFE." **Demi cackled as she raced towards Las Noches.

**~Las Noches~**

It didn't take as long as Demi thought. Since her power increased, It was only natural that her speed would too right? She knew that they were expecting her to come. It would've only been a matter of time before they kidnapped her princess from Tia again. That only added more hatred for that man. That's why no one attacked her. Or even attempted to stop her from coming. She figured it could have been a trap, but she loves surprises so she'll play along with this game. As she got closer to what looked like the main hall, her smirk got bigger by the second. She couldn't wait to destroy every single Espada that dared to come after her.

"Welcome, to Las Noches, our palace."

She heard a voice. And she knew exactly who it belonged to. _Aizen_.

"Inoue, Orihime that's your name isn't it?"

Demi scoffed. **"Yeah right. That's the princess' name. I have a different name. But you're not even worthy of knowing it. Nor will you ever be worthy of becoming a GOD. You use other people to get what you want. That's weak and low. Even for you. And look at you. Sitting on your little throne while all your wittle soldiers look up to you. How PATHETIC. That proves right there that you weren't meant to become a god, nor will you be a worthy opponent. I'll bet you'll get your little staff to come after me first right? Or do I have to attack them myself? Well, whatever the case is, none of that matters because it will be a fun game."**

Demi's grin turned into the smile of a mass killer.

"**Let's start bashing." **

Demi charged forward with Kuroryuu in her hand.

**~Ichigo's POV – Urahara Shoten~**

"Wait, she went to kill Aizen by herself? Is Orihime-San crazy? She could get killed!" Renji asked with worry written all over his face.

"Well, she did go. I even have proof to back it up." Tia pulled out the letter she found and threw it on the table. "This was on her table. It's clearly stated in this letter, done by her writing, that she went to Hueco Mundo to kill Aizen. But at the end of the letter, it says this will be the start of a new war. That was clearly Demi's decision. That's how I know that she has full control over my sister. And I have a feeling that it won't be an easy battle either." Tia assured us.

This made my stomach turn. Knowing that I have to face one of my nakama and it had to be Inoue of all people. Why her? She never had an evil side. She was always bubbly and happy. Despite that, she ended up getting that devil of a bitch Demi. Why does she have to suffer through all this? She's going through the same crap as me! It's not fair! She shouldn't get consumed by Demi or have to risk her life to save ours. That's my job! I'm the one who promised to protect her! But how do I protect her from herself?

"Well, what the hell are we gonna do about this then? We just can't leave Inoue to suffer through this alone. We have to get her back. I don't want her to die because of something that I have to go through. But thanks for teaching me how to control my inner hollow Tia-San. I feel a whole lot better knowing that this hollow can't take over my body so easily now. But I want to help save Inoue. I promised to protect her and I never back down on my promises." I looked into Tia-San's eyes with determination.

She looked back into mine with the same determination. Then she sighed. "It's not gonna be that easy Ichigo. First off, we have to figure out what the hell caused her to lose to Demi. Cause once we figure that out, we can actually make a plan to save her. And one that's full proof. So the only thing I can actually think of at the moment is to chase her down. Follow her to Hueco Mundo. If we follow her, maybe we'll get some answers from Demi. I'm pretty sure she did something that none of us know. Oh and you should brace yourselves for combat, Cause this is Demi we're talking about. She usually doesn't hesitate when it comes to killing. She's sort of like a weapon of mass destruction. But even those have weaknesses so we might be able to pull something off at the last minute. Who knows? But what I do know is Kisuke already prepared the gateway to Hueco Mundo so the more time we waste here sitting around, the less time we have to save my sister."

"Everyone, follow Kisuke to the basement!" Yoruichi exclaimed. I don't know why she was so happy but I guess it's cause she actually gets to be in this fight. Well, I mean Tia won't leave her out. They're the best of friends. And you never leave a comrade behind. That's how I was raised.

But the more I thought about this, the more I got kinda scared. I didn't want to fight Inoue. I'd rather die than even harm her. If I hurt her, that's just breaking my promise to protect her. That would make me a total hypocrite. And I really hate those kinds of people who promise one thing but do it anyway. They don't have any morals. But in this fight, I don't think there's gonna be any morals at all.

I could tell Rukia and everyone else was just as anxious as I was. Did I feel anxious? Or maybe depressed is the right word. Since I dunno, Inoue is different. She's not as strong as any of us. But that's because I haven't seen her fight with an actual zanpakutou. Will she actually fight against me? We're nakama. We wouldn't hurt each other would we? I dunno. It's so damn confusing. Since Inoue disappeared, I've been more pissed off than usual. Was it maybe because Rukia admitted that she loved me? Or was it because when we were near Inoue's apartment, I felt like someone was actually watching us?

Could that have been Inoue? Did she actually hear what I said? If she did, oh man that would make me the worst friend a person could ever have. But I won't know until I go to Hueco Mundo. Is Tia kinda confused by this or is she hiding something? I trust her. She's Inoue's sister. But at the same time, I feel like she's hiding things from her. Then again, I'm hiding the fact that I am a Shinigami to my family to protect them. Maybe she's doing the same thing? After all, I don't know what kind of life they had to go through.

That's when I realized it must have been tough to be abandoned like that from your own parents. She mentioned that Aizen had caused some sort of fight years ago. Could that be connected to what's happening now? But even now, as I stare at Tia-San's back, I can't help but feel bad for what happened to her and Inoue. I can't even imagine what it would be like to get separated from your only family. But I can imagine what it would feel like to be teased for who you were because I was teased due to my hair being orange. And not to mention my scowl that can scare bears.

I was snapped out of my thoughts to hearing Tia giggle. She really looked like Inoue when she giggled.

"What's so funny Tia-San?"

"Oh nothing. Just your thoughts are very amusing." She smirked.

"You can hear my thoughts?"

She stared at me with a shocked expression. Her mouth was open in an "o" shape. Then she smacked me upside the head.

"OW! What was that for?"

"For asking such a stupid question! Of course I can hear your thoughts. Did you just think I could do that with my sister? Cause if you did, you are pretty stupid. I can do that with everyone here. It's not even that hard to do either. I told you I could do this since I was a kid. It's like learning your ABC'S or your 1,2.3's!" She exclaimed.

"Alright I get it. Wait, does that mean you heard everything I was thinking about?"

"YUP!" She grinned.

"That's embarrassing! I can't believe you heard what I even think of your sister!"

"Actually I thought it was quite cute! How you were struggling with yourself over your feelings for her! It made me really happy."

"Why would you want a punk like me with your sister?"

"Because it makes her happy."

I froze. So Tia really did think of her happiness. That's why she sent her away. If Inoue stayed in Soul Society, Tia feared that she wouldn't feel the kindness she feels here. Is that why she wants Inoue to stay here? This is the only place that she'll feel truly free from chaos? So that's another trait she shares with Inoue. Selflessness.

"You really are like Inoue, you know that?"

She looked at me confused. Her head tilted out of confusion. Man, even that look was cute on Inoue.

"You act like her. I mean not her clumsiness or anything but your determination to keep people happy. Both of you never think of yourselves. You concentrate on making the people around you happy. Even if you should think of yourselves once in a while, you scold yourself for thinking like that. I guess that's why I like your sister."

"And exactly, when did you figure this vital information out?"

"Uhhh, Just now. Well at least I think it was just now."

She smacked me on the face. This time it was harder. I think it was actually supposed to hurt too. Cause she left a red mark on my cheek.

"**WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?**" I roared.

"**YOU'RE AN IDIOT!** I think it might be because of you that we're travelling to Hueco Mundo in the first place!"

This time everyone stared at her. Not just me. But I think because she yelled like that, everyone stared at the two of us.

She sighed. "Do you remember that storm you and Rukia were caught in? After you slayed the hollows?"

I stared at her. I gulped. This did not sound good at all. "Of course I do! It just happened like 10 minutes ago! What about it?"

"**ORIHIME WAS THE ONE WHO CAUSED IT!** This was partially my fault though for not mentioning this sooner. But me and Orihime can control the weather depending on our moods. When we're happy, it's usually sunny, unless it's night time. Then it's a clear night. But when we're sad, we cause rain storms. When we're mad, we cause thunderstorms or blizzards. Depending on the season. That's why there was a random change in weather. Orihime was really upset about something and her reiatsu caused the damn thunderstorm! That's why me, Kisuke, and Yoruichi ran back here as soon as possible. Then I went to her apartment to check for anything that might help me figure out why she was mad. And that's when I found that stupid letter! Do you have any idea what this means? It means that whatever you and Rukia were doing, Orihime saw the whole damn thing!"

Shit. **FUCKING HELL!** So I **was** right. Inoue was there. But now that I actually know, I feel really guilty. She shouldn't have seen what happened. Now if she attacks me, I can't blame her. After all, I hate myself for being so damn stupid. Why do I always mess up? It's like I have to mess up otherwise I will never learn. I'm still just a damn brat. One that has to mess up in order to understand what's happening.

"Look, it's not your fault." Tia's words snapped my head to look at her. "I'm pretty sure Demi had a lot to do with what actually happened. She can be sneaky like that. Plus she also has the ability to hide Orihime. We've already learned that since we never realized that she was gone until now. So, don't blame yourself for not sensing Orihime. Cause not even Rukia sensed her. And she usually can because she's been around my sister for so damn long. Demi will do whatever it takes to get Orihime to "step down from her throne." That's how she puts it. So, just forget about that and help us rescue her. Worry about that first. Then talk to her after. Even if you have to while you're fighting her. As long as we can actually get my sister back, that's all I care about. And everyone makes mistakes. So, just think of this as a misstep. That's all this is. Nothing you have to be scared of. We can get her back. Now, let's go to Hueco Mundo!"

Everyone nodded and we ran through the gateway. Next stop. Hueco Mundo.

**~Las Noches~**

Demi had gotten through every single Espada. Tousen was dead. She captivated his head. Something about how he fought for justice really irritated her. Maybe it was because he assumed that everything he fought for was justice when it really wasn't. The only people left were Gin, Grimmjow, a little arrancar girl also known as Nel, and Aizen who she was currently fighting.

She left Grimmjow alive because he hated Aizen with a passion. And he had the same colour hair as Tia. Well, her's was still prettier, but blue was blue in her mind. Although she never told him that was the reason. She never gave them a reason for leaving them alive actually. It was more like something that Orihime would've done. But she wasn't Orihime. Even though she's supposed to kill needlessly, something about these people screamed out to her.

She was having lots of fun with Aizen though. His little tricks wouldn't work on her. She was able to see through illusions. Maybe because she was able to control them as well. And it was really amusing to her how she was able to confuse Aizen so fast and easy.

Their zanpakutou clashed against one another. Speed matched for speed, strength matched for strength. Aizen had expected something like this from a girl like her. But in another way, he had never known of anyone killing all of his Espada in one slash. What kind of move was that? He never had the nerve to ask. Something about her power was dreadful. But at the same time, he wanted to get her on his side.

"Why don't we make a deal Inoue-San? Why don't you join my side?"

Demi stood there. Giving him a shocked look. Or maybe it was a look of stupidity. _**Why in the world would he ask such a moronic question?**_ She didn't know what to actually think. Was he really that stupid? Or was he just trying to trick her? _**Well, whatever the case may be, he won't trick someone as smart and strong as me.**_

Orihime just sat in her room. Not saying a word. Nor moving an inch. Her back was to the window she was watching the fights from. Her head rested on her knees while her arms hugged her knees. She fell over and ended up curled up in a ball. Her eyes closed and she fell asleep.

Demi had sensed her princess fall asleep. _**Just like I planned. These illusions were able to put my little princess to sleep. Now I can control her body while sitting back and enjoying the fight. I have to end this battle now. The others will be on their way soon. They will have found that note I left and they will try to save their little princess. The only thing is, they'll have to fight against her to claim her soul back. Because of these illusions, her soul has been sealed within her body. Now I can control her body and let her do all the killing. This will be quite entertaining.**_

Demi smirked as Aizen fell to his knees, soaked in blood. **"That is a No to your question Aizen. And for the record, you will never be able to gain what I have. You're really stupid for thinking that I would join someone like you. I have my own plans for the Soul Society. BUT YOU'RE NOT PART OF THEM."**

With that said, Aizen fell on his stomach, Kyoka Suigetsu fell out of his hands and laid on the ground beside his now dead body. Demi used Kuroryuu to slice the zanpakutou in half. Now no one was in her way. And her plans will begin shortly.

Gin walked up to Demi followed by Nel and Grimmjow. They looked at her in shock. Wondering if she would kill them. Her back was turned to Aizen's dead body, Kuroryuu stained with his blood. It really gave the black zanpakutou a darker look.

"May we ask who you are woman?" Grimmjow asked slightly irritated that he didn't kill Aizen but he was glad that someone else did.

"**Well, this is Inoue Orihime's body. But I am her hollow, Demi. She's my master. I guess that's one way of putting it. But she has given up all her rights to me because she doesn't like hurting others or even killing for that matter. Her sister is Tia. The leader of the Soul Society. Gin should know her. Well anyways the real battle will begin very soon. Orihime's little gang of friends will be coming with Tia to try and save her. But they won't know what hit them. When they see her standing with Aizen's blood stained on her zanpakutou, they'll wonder if she truly killed him. And seeing his body lying on the ground in front of her will definitely make quite a sight."**

"Well, then Demi-San. May I ask one question? That's if you're willing to answer." Gin asked curiously.

"**Whatever. Ask away."**

"Why did you leave us three alive? Not that I'm complaining. I just want to know why you would leave some of Aizen's minions alive."

"**Simple. I felt like it. More like, Orihime wanted me to leave you alive. She noticed you right away from when she went to save that midget bitch from being executed. She remembered the pained look you showed when you left Rangiku behind. Plus I like her too. So I figured that if you're either a friend or a lover to her, I should be nice and leave you alive. I left Grimmjow alive because he hated Aizen as much as Orihime did. Plus anyone who wears blue or likes blue is a good person in my book. And I left little shorty Nel over there alive because Grimmjow was very defensive over her. And I believe she's a friend of Tia's as well. I never kill people who have Tia's respect. Unless they hurt her or her sister. Then their ass is mine. And no one will stop what happens next got that?"**

They nodded in unison.

"**Good. Oh look they're here."** Demi sang.

The three remaining turned around to see everyone enter the main hall. Tia was first followed by Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, Uryu, Chad, Toushirou, Rangiku, Momo, and Yoruichi.

**~Ichigo's POV~**

We entered the main hall. It was so weird how none of the Espada were around. There were few hollows but Tia was able to kill them without using her zanpakutou. I guess she thinks it would be a waste of energy to draw her sword. Although I didn't mind seeing a bit of her powers.

Tia stopped in front of us. I decided to walk so I was in the front beside her. My eyes widened. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Aizen, on the floor, in a pool of his blood. Kyoka Suigetsu was no where to be seen. I recognized two of the people standing there. Gin Ichimaru and Grimmjow. The third one looked more like an arrancar. She had green hair that had part of a skull mask attached to her head. She had a red mark under her eyes. She clutched onto Grimmjow's pants and stayed behind him.

But the person who stood above Aizen, her zanpakutou clutched at her side. Aizen's blood dripped from the tip of the blade. The only difference was that her zanpakutou was black. I remembered it being light blue. Her auburn hair flowing from the air movements we created. Even though her back was turned to us, I knew right away who was responsible for all this bloodshed.

"Inoue."

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**A/N:** OMG! A cliffhanger! XD I love making these! My friend said I was the cliffhanger queen! (Yes I mean you Unknown-Chan!)

This chapter was 11 pages! This was the longest chapter I have ever written! And I am damn proud of myself if I may say so! Alright on with the important notes!

Alright, when Tia was talking about how she was the moon and Orihime was the sun, it actually means that Tia was born at midnight and Orihime was born at noon. It's supposed to reflect their personalities. I hope I explained that right XD *knocks head*

Kuro means black. Or it's the short word for black. It matched better with Ryuu. So I went with it.

Oh and I hope Orihime's zanpakutou was different. See now it's sort of a mix of Aizen's and Toushirou's. Or I've been told it's similar to his. I changed the colour in this chapter because Demi's would be black since she's the hollow form of Orihime. So when Orihime is actually brought back to normal, her zanpakutou will go back to being a light blue white colour.

A big thanks to all my readers and fans who have read this fanfiction or any of mine for that matter! A really big thanks to Copper-Chan whose my beta reader! She's taken time to proof read my work and give suggestions!

I would also like to say Good Luck to her family because of the loss of her cousin. I hope you will make it through this hard time. T.T

Sorry for the one sided IchiRuki I set up in the last chapter. I wanted Ichigo to kiss Rukia in that scene but Copper-Chan told me it would really make him OOC and the fact that it would've only been maybe out of pity or something. Just not really my style I suppose. Anyways Please Review! :3

~Tia-Chan~


	8. Secrets revealed

Chapter 8 is here! OMG I can't believe this story is already 8 chapters! And all the nice reviews! God I feel like crying XD Thank you so much for supporting this story! So this one has action and flashbacks and complications! At least that's what I think. I dunno. But yeah I just felt like getting this one up before school gets more complicated cause so far, it's been easy XD.

**DISCLAIMER: DUN OWN BLEACH!! Wish I did. DX**

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_But the person who stood above Aizen, her zanpakutou clutched at her side. Aizen's blood dripped from the tip of the blade. The only difference was that her zanpakutou was black. I remembered it being light blue. Her auburn hair flowing from the air movements we created. Even though her back was turned to us, I knew right away who was responsible for all this bloodshed._

"_Inoue."_

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**~Ichigo's POV~**

Inoue turned to look at us. Her expression was motionless, almost as if she saw right through us. There was one thing that scared me the most. Her eyes. They showed pain but within them I saw revenge. Inoue and revenge don't go together. Like Renji and pineapples. I know that's random but still. I couldn't think of anything else to say at this very moment. She was glaring at us. Based on how Tia-San was standing though, I'd say that there were communicating telepathically.

But why hadn't Demi made any sudden movements? According to what Tia-San told us, Demi won't show any mercy at all. But maybe, just maybe she would show some sort of hesitation. I scratched that idea out of my head when I heard Inoue laugh. Not her sweet laughter either. It was a demonic laugh.

"**Back down Tia-Sama. This doesn't involve you. It's between me and that midget slut over there"** Her finger pointing towards Rukia.

"**LIKE HELL IT DOESN'T! **Demi, what do you plan to accomplish by taking over my sister's body? Do you think it would get you anywhere? Cause honestly, I don't think you'll be able to do much. And why put her through all this? Just for your selfish gain? I'm sorry Demi, but as long as I live, I won't let that happen!" Tia-San yelled.

"**See that's where you're wrong! I'll be able to accomplish every single plan I have in mind. As long as the Princess sticks with me, that's all I need. I need your sister. It's that simple. Without her, I can't do anything. And since she's not putting up a fight, I can use her till she dies."** Demi cackled.

I stared at her in disbelief. This was way too much for Inoue to handle. Why did she give up her pure, innocent soul? I'll never understand. But I mean, I've never really understood Inoue either. Was that where I went wrong? Did I just assume that she needed my protection without even thinking about how she felt being on the sidelines?

"**Do you wish to know? Then I shall tell you." She sneered.**

I swallowed all nervous feelings I had right now. I felt sweat trickle down from my forehead. It was like I had a feeling I knew why Inoue would do something like this. But my thoughts were all jumbled. I couldn't think straight. Not when her green eyes looked into mine.

"**Kurosaki Ichigo, you sir, are Orihime's weakness."**

**~Renji's POV~**

Tch. Ichigo is Orihime-San's weakness? Yeah right. I wouldn't have believed that if I hadn't seen him freeze up like he did. Maybe he already knew but actually finding out hurt him even more. But I still gritted my teeth anyway. How dare she call Rukia a slut. Why does Demi hate her anyways? I don't remember Rukia doing anything to deserve being hated.

"I'm Inoue's weakness?" Ichigo mumbled under his breath. It was as if he couldn't believe that. Or maybe he didn't want to confirm it.

"**That's right. To be more accurate, her love for you is her weakness. She was so ashamed when she heard her beloved Ichigo say he would never love her. Not the way she loves him. She even broke down in tears and cried her guts out to the point where she couldn't breathe. But despite the pain you put her through, she still didn't have any thoughts of killing you or Rukia. So that's why I showed her the joy of killing."** Demi said sarcastically.

I stepped in front of Rukia. My hand was already on Zabimaru. There was something in her expression that made me act on instinct. I'm pretty sure Tia-Taichou noticed my sudden movement cause she turned her head to look at me. And by the looks of it, she was getting really annoyed with the way Demi was acting. Not that I could blame her though.

I caught Rukia's expression as well. She looked so damn pale. Sweat was dripping down her face. Almost as if she couldn't believe this either. Orihime-San was her best friend. One of the only female friends she ever had. Of course she would be scared when she's being threatened by her. Only this isn't the **real** Orihime. This was just her hollow, looking for a way out.

I hated how even I was scared of Demi right now. But I had to be tough. For Rukia.

"This is too much. **LET INOUE GO NOW!**" Ichigo yelled.

"**Temper temper. Don't you know any manners at all? My dear Ichigo, you won't get her back so easily. In fact, I may never let her go. She's not yours to claim. She's MINE. No one else will have her."**

"**SHE DOESN'T BELONG TO ANYONE!**" He yelled.

"**Aww, I'm sorry to disappoint you Ichigo. But she's mine now. And it's all thanks to you and Rukia."**

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"**You really are dense. But you're still cute. So I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. See the truth is... You fell right into my trap."**

**~Tia's POV~**

Dammit. I knew that something was off. But I couldn't actually say anything. Or maybe I didn't want to. From the moment I sensed Orihime tense up at Kisuke's shop, I knew she was starting to slowly change. The outburst was proof. But I didn't want her to suffer through this. That's why I sealed off her Shinigami powers. But I knew it couldn't last.

"**Yes. I set the whole thing up. I purposely appeared the first time, causing her to flee from everyone. She didn't want to hurt you guys so she left to do some training, in attempt to wield me. All I had to do was convince her I could help make her stronger so she wouldn't have to depend on you all the time. But that only helped me because by doing that, I drained her will completely. In order to convince her that Ichigo and Rukia were in love with each other, I summoned hollows near her apartment. I also got Orihime to go back home so that you guys would leave to see if she was alright. One of the hollows that Rukia killed had the Truth spell. So when she killed that one hollow, a black fog surrounded her and entered her brain. It convinced her that she could only tell the truth. Then her body went with what her brain told her to do and she kissed Ichigo. And the timing couldn't have been better since the Princess saw the entire thing, crushing her spirit so there was nothing but ash." She smirked.**

I felt Ichigo and Rukia stiffen at the last comment. Well, I wouldn't blame them. Since they're the ones that made Demi appear in the first place. But what done is done. I guess they wouldn't have known that Demi could do things like that. So I guess I'm part to blame for not really explaining her powers that well.

I wasn't that surprised. To be honest, I actually knew that Demi would lure us here. But I think Orihime had more to do with that decision than Demi. Usually Demi would destroy anyone anywhere, but I bet Orihime made a deal with her that she got to choose where to fight in exchange for her powers.

It made me smirk because I knew exactly what Orihime had planned out. Even if she never knew it.

"Well, what do we do now Tia?" Yoruichi asked me.

"What else? We fight."

Everyone gasped at me. I knew this would happen. They're gonna start talking on and on about how they couldn't hurt Orihime cause she was their friend.

"But Tia-Chan! We can't just hurt Orihime-Chan! Even if Demi has control over her, we have to figure another way out! I don't wanna hurt her!" Rangiku tried reasoning with me. I just noticed now that Gin, Grimmjow and the green haired arrancar were right beside her.

Wait a minute, green haired arrancar?

"NEL?!?" I shouted. Everyone stared at me in shock.

"Tia? Is that really you?" She asked.

I grinned at her. Her eyes started to water as she came towards me.

"TIA!" She yelled as she jumped into my awaiting arms. Same old Nel. Although she was in her baby form, I noticed she could pronounce her words better.

"It's good to see you Nel. I hope Grimmjow has been taking good care of you. Otherwise-" I glared at him. He shrugged his shoulders and looked away.

"Yes! He's been very nice to me! And he even lets me stay with him!" She exclaimed.

I cleared my throat. Right now I had to focus on Orihime.

I sighed and turned to the others, Nel was still in my arms. "Look, I know you guys don't want to hurt my sister. I get it. She's your friend. But while we come up with some way to save her, she's suffering. I'm not just gonna sit by and let that happen. Even if we have to fight her, we're doing it for her sake. She won't die. I know that. And I'm pretty sure she'd rather die than be controlled for the rest of her life."

Ichigo looked at me. I could tell he was really depressed now that he knew more about what's actually going on. And I honestly think he regrets half the stuff he found out. But I know he won't just let Orihime get taken either. If he went to save Rukia in the Soul Society, I know he'll be able to save her now. The only difference is that he never had to fight Rukia. This time he has to fight my sister. Or at least one of us has to.

Suddenly, Renji started bleeding. Zabimaru was in shikai form since he was trying really hard not to hurt her but defend Rukia as well.

"RENJI!" Rukia yelled. That's when I noticed that Orihime had begun fighting. Her main target was Rukia. No one else. Not even Ichigo. That's when I noticed that he had stepped in front of Renji to block the attack.

**~Yoruichi's POV~**

I stood there and watched as Orihime started fighting with Ichigo. It was so weird. The last time I saw her fight was against Tia. And they were only training. They would always joke around and mess with one another. Like normal sisters would. So how did it come down to this?

**~Nel's POV~**

This was so strange. Demi had been so nice to let me, Gin and Grimmjow live. But what was the true reasoning? When I saw her eyes, they were a mix of grey and green. Now her eyes are emerald green.

"Tia, what colour are your sister's eyes?"

She looked at me with a confused expression. "They're normally grey. Why do you ask Nel?"

"Well, before you guys arrived, Demi had killed Aizen and all the other Espada. She even killed Tousen too. But the weird thing was she kept us alive."

She didn't say anything, just continued to look at me. I must have gotten everyone's attention too since they were quiet. The only thing you could hear was the sound of Zangetsu clashing against KuroRyuu.

"But when we asked her why she kept us alive, she said it was because we never harmed Orihime and we were your friends. She said that if anyone hurt Orihime or you she would kill them. But when I looked into her eyes, they were a mix of grey and green."

"Are you serious Nel-Chan?" Rangiku asked me.

I nodded. "Without a doubt. It was almost as if, she was trying to regain control."

**~Hime's POV~**

_Where am I? Oh right. I let Demi control me. So now I'm stuck in my own body. I guess it's better this way. If I'm stuck here, I can't hurt Kurosaki-Kun anymore. Besides, I feel more content now that I don't have to worry about anything. I don't have to be a burden anymore. Things can go back to how they used to be. _

_I wish I could have stayed in Soul Society. Where I grew up. Tia-Nee was there to help me out. Rukia and Renji were fun to play with. Everyone was so nice to me. But when Tia came back from a mission from here, I had to ask her._

_**~Flashback~**_

"_Tia-Nee! Welcome back!" I grinned as she entered the door._

"_It's good to be back. Did you get into trouble while I was gone?" _

_I giggled "You know me better than that don't you? The only thing that happened was Ruki-Chan and Renji-Kun were fighting again. And I got to play tag with them too!"_

_She smiled at me and ruffled my hair. "I'm sorry if I made you feel lonely."_

"_Nah! It was alright! We also went exploring with Renji-Kun and his other friends! They were very nice to me as well, even though I'm younger than them."_

_She headed to her bedroom and placed her zanpakutou beside her bed. I jumped onto her bed and sat patiently._

"_Say Tia. What's it like? Being in the world of the living?"_

_She looked at me and smiled. "It's a very beautiful place. There's tons of life all around. There are even places called hospitals and clinics that help save people. When you're older, I'll take you with me and we'll go visit. I'll help you make friends."_

"_Do you feel like you need to go somewhere else to be happy?"_

"_Sometimes I wish I could stay in the world of the living. It would be a good experience. But we're Shinigami. We help save lost souls. Even if we tried to be normal, it would feel very empty inside."_

"_Why?"_

_She looked at me before continuing. "Because we can't change who we are. We can't just die and get reborn as humans. It would feel really weird. Plus it still does considering the fact that I've seen children with parents. We wouldn't really know what that feels like since we're orphans. All I know is that we are the leaders of this big place. We must do what we have to. For the sake of everyone. We can't pick and choose who we help. Everybody matters."_

"_I want to live there though. Someday. And have a family of my own! I want to show them everything there is to know about living. I know I'll be the leader of this place with you, but I want to see everything before I take my place as the other leader."_

"_Then you'll be allowed to do that."_

_I gasped. "REALLY?!?"_

_She pulled me into a tight hug and whispered. "really."_

_**~End Flashback~**_

_I remember that time. I always wanted to be here in the world of the living. But I wanted to live here with Rukia and Renji. If I hadn't come here, I wouldn't have met Kurosaki-Kun, Ishida-Kun or Sado-Kun. Same with Tatsuki-Chan and everyone else I've become friends with. But that's why I have to do this. If I can't, they'll die. And it'll be my fault. _

_Tia wanted me to be happy. That's why she let me come here. She had a feeling that I wouldn't have been as happy in Seireitei as I am now. Although I miss having Rangiku-San, Toushirou-Kun, Momo-San, and all the other Soul reapers to talk to. I'll miss being here too. I might have to leave one world behind. _

_**~Flashback~**_

"_Y'know what Orihime? I'll give you time." Tia-Nee concluded._

"_How much time?"_

"_As long as it takes. You can have all the freedom in the world. We'll let you be a normal person, grow up with normal people, fall in love and let you be happy like you should be." _

"_And we promise you. We'll let you bring the person you fall in love with back to Seireitei with you. And we'll still let you be the other leader of the Soul Society. Like you and Tia should be." Kari added._

"_You really mean that?" I asked curiously._

_They nodded. "But there is one exception."_

"_I'll agree to anything I swear!"_

"_The thing is, we have to seal your powers away otherwise you'll be hunted by hollows and other evil people. We don't want that to happen. So please, Orihime. To make me happy, stay far away from anyone you don't know. When you make friends, stay with them!" Tia begged._

_I nodded. "I understand. I don't want to endanger anyone else."_

"_Until we meet again, my dear sister. Take care of yourself and the others. Go with Kisuke and Yoruichi! When the time comes, you'll see everyone again! I promise!"_

_**~End of Flashback~**_

_My eyes widened. But what happened that made Demi hate Rukia? I feel like I should know the answer to that. But why can't I remember?_

**~Ichigo's POV~**

Damn. It's odd. Each time our swords clash, Inoue hesitates. I still haven't fully figured out why though. It is because she's going after Rukia? Or is it because she doesn't want to hurt me?

"Shit!" I cursed as I was forced backwards. I was able to skid to a halt.

That's when I noticed Inoue hold her zanpakutou up. She moved her arm in front of her while the other one went onto the sword. There was black swirling around her. That's when I realized. _She's going into Bankai!_

"**EVERYONE. MOVE! NOW!**" I yelled desperately.

"**BANKAI!"**

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**A/N:** That's where I'll end it ^^ I've had those flashbacks in my head for quite a while now, so I'm glad I was able to put them in!

Jeez. Sorry for the late update too! Gawd I have so much in my head that I could probably add like 3 drabbles to my collection already XD

But this chapter is to celebrate me having a 4 day weekend! **YES!** *cheers* LOL anyways. Enough of my randomness

Please review and tell me what you think ^^

~Tia-Chan~


	9. That was then, This is Now

Alright here's chapter 9! Sorry it's taken me a month to actually update! GAH! I'm just a damn procrastinator! But there won't be any pokemon just cause it wouldn't really make any sense to add them now. Plus it messed up my whole idea for the story and they wouldn't really fit with it so I scratched the idea. This one chapter I have a feeling might be longer than I actually intended. There will be 2 flashbacks and I'll try not to complicate things DX

**DISCLAIMER: DUN OWN BLEACH!**

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**~Tia's POV~**

As soon as I heard the word Bankai, it brought unopened memories back to my mind. They were memories I didn't want to think about but I ended up thinking about them anyways. From the day we met Rukia and Renji to the day Hime got sick to the day... our parents were killed.

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_It was any other day in the Soul Society. At the time, me and Hime were in the academy, learning to actually become soul reapers. But we were in a much advanced class. Yamamoto told me that the only way we could take our positions as the leaders was if we graduated from the academy. Only thing was, we had to go through two different schools. One was the actual Shinigami Academy, where we learned what soul reapers do and why we do those duties with integrity and honour. The second school was actually home school, only difference was, we were trained by Kisuke and Yoruichi in an secret underground cave._

_At the academy we actually met Rukia and Renji. Although thinking back to it, I'd wish we'd met under different circumstances. Me and Hime were going to visit one of her old teachers when we heard that damn bastard. _

"_Why don't you go back to living on the streets? No one wants you here. And what's with your hair? Why don't you get it cut instead of looking like a monkey?" One of the students was picking on him and that made the class go into an uproar of laughter._

_Those comments made me gag. They were so awful and disgusting! If I had to deal with those kind of Shinigami when I'm older, hell I'll lay down the rules right now. That's when I grabbed him by the collar and lifted him into the air. I then whipped him against the wall, causing everyone to gasp and stop laughing. They couldn't take their eyes away from us as me and Hime started to walk down the long flight of stairs. _

_Hime held my hand as we walked. I didn't want her to roam around everywhere cause well I was very protective over her. Who could blame me? I'm her older sister and if anything happened to her, I'd have to take responsibility. Although she was only 4, she was very smart and very quick with learning. Just like me. I was about 14 so we're actually 10 years apart. But now you can't really tell cause we look the same age._

_Once we stood at the front of the classroom I noticed that everyone, including Rukia and Renji, were staring at us. Well at least I had their attention._

"_YOU GUYS CALL YOURSELVES SHINIGAMI? STUDENTS DON'T PICK ON FELLOW CLASSMATES. NO MATTER WHERE THEY'RE FROM! IF YOU WANT TO BE SHINIGAMI IN THE FUTURE, I'D TAKE MY ADVICE! DON'T PICK ON OTHERS JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE FROM A DIFFERENT PLACE! CAUSE NOT EVERYONE WILL BE AS KIND AS RUKIA OR RENJI. SO IF YOU WANT TO BE THROWN AGAINST THE WALL, KEEP ON BULLYING, BUT DON'T EXPECT ME TO COME HELP YOU."_

_Everyone apologized to them and to me as well. I hate being like that, but if that's the only way to get a message through their thick heads, then so be it. I just wish the world could be so damn peaceful instead of being all fucked up. But somethings can't be changed. That's how it always will be. Well at least they now know how serious I am. _

"_Next time, think about what you're going to say, before you say it. Come on Hime, let's go."_

_She looked up at me and nodded. Then we proceeded to leave the building, She waved bye to her old teacher and then silence fell upon us. We kept walking away from the academy when we heard footsteps behind us. Both of us stopped walking as Hime turned around to look at our two guests. She tugged at my sleeve and I looked down at her and then my gaze went towards Rukia and Renji._

_He bowed like a perfect gentleman. "Thank you guys. You didn't have to step in to defend me but you did anyways." He looked up at us, something flickering in the depths of his eyes._

_I turned around and continued walking as Hime let go of my hand to hug Rukia. I noticed how happy she was when Rukia picked her up and held her to her chest. I also found that Hime has quite an interest with Renji's hair. Seeing as she began to play with it._

"_Just for the record." They looked at me as I continued to talk. "I only told them those things because it's true. I also hate seeing people being picked on. It's stupid for others to judge based upon appearances or from where others come from. It doesn't make any sense to me. So I helped you out because at one point, I got insulted as well until I stood up for myself."_

_A small smile graced his lips. "Thanks again."_

_I chuckled. "Ya might wanna keep a close eye on Hime."_

_He blinked. "What makes you say that?"_

"_Cause she just pulled on the tie in your hair." I pointed at her. Rukia started laughing while holding Hime in her arms. Renji started to freak out for whatever reason. Hime wrapped her arms around Rukia's neck as laughter consumed her. And as for me, well, somehow they managed to make me grin._

_I shook my head. Somehow, those two had become my friends. Even though we never properly introduced each other. I walked towards them and extended my hand to Orihime. She took it and latched onto my neck. My arm snaked around her waist, holding her tightly against me._

"_Thanks for making my lil sis happy." I turned around and walked away._

"_W-Wait! We know Hime because we've seen her a lot but we barely see you! At least tell us your name!" Rukia shouted._

_I smirked and looked at them._

"_My name is Tia."_

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_A few months after we had just reacquainted ourselves with Rukia and Renji, they came by to visit. I actually enjoyed being around those two. They explained how they first met and how life was living in Inuzuri. I felt bad for them, having to go through the harshness. But everyone had their difficulties. Hime loved listening to the stories too. Even cried. _

_That's when I told them about how our parents had abandoned us. The whole story. They said they couldn't live knowing that we're too different. They couldn't bear the pain and troubles of raising special children. I even told them that the people we were living with now are our foster parents. Although it never really seemed that way. _

"_Really? They don't seem like foster parents to me. They seemed like your real parents." Rukia commented._

"_Trust me. They're not our real parents."_

_I never knew that such kind people could accept us. To be honest, when I first stepped into this house, it felt so weird. Like I never belonged. Yamamoto promised that it would be the best thing. But was it? To put innocent lives in danger because of who we were? Surely, they would be targets. The biggest issue I had was wondering... Did they accept us out of pity? Or because they actually cared?_

_Sadly a year later Orihime had come down with the flu. It was so bad, that our parents were very protective. Even more than I was!_

"_So how is she?" Rukia asked, worry imbedded within her voice._

_I sighed. "She isn't getting any better. Unohana told me that it's possible that she could die."_

"_Wait, it's that bad?" Renji asked, shock written on his face._

"_Her reiatsu is being drained but we can't figure out why. It's like something is feeding off her and our parents are very concerned. Not to mention scared. Although freaking out won't help her in any way. I'm the only one that's actually calm around here."_

"_Do you know what's attacking her?"_

"_Well, I have an idea but I don't know if-" I stopped as we all heard screaming from downstairs. All of us got up and ran down as fast as possible. Almost tripping on our feet. When we entered the living room... We saw the most horrible thing."_

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The sound of clashing and screeching brought me back to earth. I gazed on as Ichigo and Orihime, or should I say Demi, continued on. She used shunpo while slicing Ichigo's arm. While the memories came back to haunt me, Ichigo resorted to using his Bankai. His black cloak swayed in the wind that Demi's shunpo created.

"At this rate, Ichigo will be killed! Demi's too strong! Tia, please do something! He needs your help!" Nel begged.

I was contemplating on what I should do. If I stepped in, there was the chance that I would end up killing Orihime. But at the same time, I can't let her kill the only guy she ever loved. This is all Demi's fault to begin with. From our parent's death, to me sending Hime here and sealing off her powers, to her meeting up with all of us once more. It was like everything just happened. No brakes to stop us. It just whipped past us. But I won't let Orihime make the same mistake twice. I had found my resolve. Now was the time to act on it.

I looked at Yoruichi, who judging by how she looked at me, knew exactly what I was thinking.

"Nel. I want you to stay with Yoruichi. Stay in her arms and don't come out until I tell you to. Got it?"

Her green eyes bore into mine. Shock and fear were within them but I showed her that I meant every word. She nodded and jumped into her arms.

Then I charged into the battle, which made me draw my blade.

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**~Ichigo's POV~**

Damn. Blood ran from my forehead, down to my chin. My eyes were directed at the ground. Somehow when I wasn't paying attention, she managed to get Zangetsu out of my grasp. The only thing holding me up off the ground were my hands and knees.

What went wrong? I must have done something very wrong if Inoue wanted to kill me. No. Demi wanted to. Not Inoue. She had no sense about what's happening. All because Demi isn't letting her see everything.

My eyes widened when I felt her spiritual pressure above me. But I couldn't move. It was like my whole body was paralysed from my feet to my head. I heard her knees crack as she bent down to my level. Her hand hooked under my chin as she lifted my gaze from the ground to her eyes.

My eyes were still open wide when I noticed the eye colour. They were soft grey. Not dark green. It was like I was looking at the real Inoue. A small graced her lips. Her cheek moved against mine as she got closer to my ear.

"**You're mine." **When I heard that voice, I knew that it wasn't Inoue at all. Demi had used her eye colour to make me believe she had control. **"I won't let anyone near you. Especially that midget bitch. But sadly, she defiled you. Which leaves me no choice. Whether you're mine or not, I must kill you for betraying me. But I'll take my time and give you a nice, slow and painful death that you, Kurosaki Ichigo, deserve. Just so you can understand how the princess feels." **

She pulled away from my ear and lightly kissed my cheek. She had fully stood up and let go of my face. My hand moved towards the cheek her lips had just touched. She went and picked up Zangetsu which laid right beside my body.

"**And now. I shall cut you down with your own blade."**

I gulped. I honestly couldn't move my legs. They wouldn't obey my mind. It felt as if someone had super-glued me to the ground. I forced myself to move when I noticed her raise Zangetsu from the corner of my eyes. I closed my eyes, expecting to feel Zangetsu cut my skin. When I never felt the blow, I looked up only to see Demi's hand frozen in ice.

"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren."

My gaze switched to Rukia who released the white wave of ice. Demi had dodged it which left me in the way. I faintly heard Rangiku yell at me to get out of the way. But I still couldn't move. Before I could register what happened, Inoue had picked me up and saved me.

She had shunpo'd out of the way and looked at me. She must have noticed the confusion in my eyes because she smiled softly before handing Zangetsu back. Yep. Now I'm really confused. Was this Demi or Inoue?

"Demi told you." When I heard that voice, I knew right away. It was Inoue. "If anyone's going to kill you, it would be her. If I hadn't saved you, Rukia's attack would've hit you and most likely have killed you."

I looked at her. I was totally speechless. But I managed to ask her two questions.

"But why does Demi hate Rukia so badly? What did she do to you Inoue?"

She sighed as her gaze was fixed on me. Almost like she was about to start a story.

"It was because of Rukia that me and Demi had died when we were younger. She was also the reason you had became a soul reaper. Even though I've known you longer, I always felt distant from you. Especially when I found out that she was with you on the day you visited your mother's grave. I learned about your mom's death from Tatsuki while she was actually there. To hear the story from you personally. She helped you so much while all i did was cause nothing but trouble and pain for you. That's why Demi wants to kill her."

She hesitated. Almost as if she wanted to say something else but she didn't know how to say it. She closed her eyes before opening them. Something had flared within her grey eyes. I couldn't even describe the emotion.

"There is one thing and one thing only you must do for me, Kurosaki-Kun." She stopped again, trying to ask something of me. But what did she want me to do?

"Demi has full control of my body. I'm afraid I can't keep her at bay for much longer. That's why I need you to do this one thing. And that one thing is... to stab me with Zangetsu."

My eyes not only widened, but my face paled. How could she ask me to do that? How could I even do that? She's my friend, my inspiration, my... _Everything_.

I swallowed before I could actually speak. "You want me to kill you?!? But **WHY**? I promised to **PROTECT** you, _not_ **HURT** you."

"But if you don't stab me, I'll be hurt even more. Look around you. Demi did all of this damage and I couldn't do anything to stop her. It was because she put me under her spell. But I snapped out of it when I felt everyone here. If you really want to protect me, you'll do it, won't you?"

Her eyes were pleading and desperate. Almost as if she would break if I said no. But how can I do it though? If she does die, I'll be the reason. I won't be able to live with myself. But this is what she wants. And if it saves her, then I have to.

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**~Hime's POV~**

I saw Kurosaki-Kun raise Zangetsu. Regret filled his eyes and I knew he was fighting with himself to make this decision. But only he can do it. If I wanted Demi out of me for good, he has to stab me. There's no other way.

The only thing I noticed was that Harribel wasn't around. That means that Demi must have left her alive. But where's she's hiding, not even I could tell you.

His eyes continued to reflect sadness and remorse. I knew he didn't want to, but he also knew he had to. For me. And for everyone else. But if he doesn't, Demi would take over once again and kill him. Fate would repeat itself all over again.

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_I had felt really drained that day. Any sudden movement and I would feel like throwing up. Mom and dad got lots of time off because of my illness. I couldn't move. The only time I was able to move was when I had to go to the bathroom. Even then, my dad would pick me up and carry me there. _

_I was nothing but a burden. _

_Renji and Rukia came to visit everyday, only to be pushed upstairs and away from the living room. Away from me. Mom or dad wouldn't let them see me. For fear that it was contagious. I was even more sad when I found out that not even Tia could come see me. I was alone. No friends or siblings to keep me company. When everyone was asleep, I would cry silent tears._

_If anyone asked, I would lie and say it was due to nightmares. Then that dreaded day came. I had actually fainted. My world went pitch black and I heard laughter. Mixed in the laughter, sounds of screaming echoed in this pitch black hole. I looked at my hands and saw nothing but blood. When I looked at the floor, there laid mom and dad in a big pool of blood._

_It was like I just snapped. The loneliness I felt would never go away. It was so awful and sad. I ended up becoming this monster who just wanted to be loved. Feel love and give love back. Was that so much to ask for? All I ever wanted was to be happy. Laugh, play and sing cheerfully. Making memories that I would always look back to. When I noticed the three standing in the doorway, they were speechless. Dead scared of what I had become. Not that I could blame them though._

_Before I could take even a step, they ran out the door. Tears had poured down my face and I had screamed. The sadness I felt, only turned into pure hatred. My eyes glowed red with vengeance. Somehow they turned green. _

_It turned out that around this time, Urahara-San was going to be exiled from the Soul Society. Apparently guilty for turning some of the captains and lieutenants of the Gotei 13 into hollows. I never knew such a thing could exist. Turns out, I was the last one to be exposed to this mysterious power._

_As I caught sight of the others, I ran. As fast as my legs could carry me. I was trying to catch up to them and tell them that I was sorry. Or maybe I wanted to kill them. Even as I think about it now I could never really tell you my true intentions that day. I was shocked when I noticed that Rukia wasn't around. Tia and Renji had stopped to face me, their eyes wide with shock and fear._

_Before I could figure out why, I felt something stab me. I looked down only to find Sode no Shirayuki in my chest. Pierced my heart. I turned around and saw Rukia look at me, tears pouring down her cheeks. _

"_I'm sorry." Was all she whispered as she pulled her zanpakutou from me. As I was falling to the ground, I felt Tia catch me and pull me into her chest. _

"_I'm so sorry. Orihime, I'd never meant for things to turn out this way! I'd never thought that you would be the last victim of the Hogyoku. When I found out from Kisuke himself, I was very worried. But I never showed it."_

"_Tia-"  
_

"_I wanted to be strong! For you. For me. And for everyone here. But now you must go! Remember that discussion we had with Kari?"_

_I nodded._

"_Well, now's the time. You must leave here. Before they kill you! I don't want that! Please go and survive! Until we meet again, my dear sister. Take care of yourself and the others. Go with Kisuke and Yoruichi! When the time comes, you'll see everyone again! I promise!" _

_She has promised that I would have a better life in the World of the Living. But that never happened. I just had the same fate in a different world. Nothing changed. Not for the better. But for the worst. Nothing ever changes. As long as you're a Shinigami._

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I looked down at the blade in my chest. Only this time, it wasn't Sode no Shirayuki, it was Zangetsu. And instead of Rukia crying in front of me, it was Ichigo. Dear sweet Ichigo. His brown eyes glistening from the tears as they fell. He was trying so hard not to cry. I knew that. But they still fell.

I could feel all the dark reiatsu that was inside my heart, slowly fade out of me. They were forming on the outside. I knew that it was time to fight against her. But right now I can't even go into Bankai. Just because she had used up a ton of my reiatsu.

Suddenly, tears had come falling down from my eyes. I felt lighter, like I was bonded by dark chains that had been broken. Nothing was weighing me down anymore. I was able to be myself and no one could control my actions but myself. His eyes widen when I smiled through my own tears.

I felt Zangetsu being pulled from my chest. Just like Rukia when she had pulled her zanpakutou from me. Only this time, he threw his out of his hands and it landed in the wall. I stumbled towards him, trying to tell him that it was okay now. That he didn't have to worry about Demi anymore. I ended up falling because I was too weak and he caught me. Kurosaki-Kun pulled me to his chest as he sank to his knees and cradled me like a baby.

My eyes were slowly drifting shut. But I used all the resistance I had to stay awake. Just for a little bit longer. Blood had been seeping from my chest and covered his hands. He buried his face in my hair as I looked around one last time. Catching everyone's expressions. Tia was the only one I couldn't find. Probably because she was waiting for Demi to come out of hiding.

I guess I had healed Kurosaki-Kun because he wasn't bleeding anymore. He didn't even look like he had a scratch on him. Maybe that's why I was trying to stay awake. I didn't need to call upon my Shun Shun Rikka. As long as I wished for it, they would obey.

I felt his body continue to shake as he was holding me. I knew he was still crying. Although I'm pretty sure he was trying to get a hold on himself. I looked up at him and he moved so I could see his brown eyes one last time before sleep took me.

I tried to smile one last time as my hand reached up to his cheek. My thumb wiping the tears that he wouldn't stop.

"Thank you... Ichigo."

I whispered as I closed my eyes and felt nothing but his reiatsu as it covered me like a blanket.

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**A/N:** Finally finished! I don't know if you would consider that a cliff hanger.

Jeez this chapter made me really sad DX Just by typing it, I wanted to cry. But I refrained myself.

Since I hadn't updated this story in a month I decided to make it more dramatic.

Bold lines are Demi speaking. Just to kinda clarify that. I hope I explained Hime and Tia's past well enough.

I will try to update the next chapter as fast as I can. Not in a month though! Maybe in the next week or two ^.^

~Tia-Chan~


	10. Do you remember me, Orihime?

LOL alright presenting chapter 10! YAY! I already had this one written out. (It was a matter of getting off my lazy butt and typing it out XD) I want this updated today. That way I don't have to totally rush on the next chapter. (Although I'll probably end up starting to write it out tonight) Oh and this was going to be in chapter 9 but I figured that I should stop where it was. It would've been too rushed. (Or I thought so)

**Disclaimer: don't own bleach ;)**

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**~Uryu's POV~**

I watched as Ichigo cradled Orihime in his arms. For some reason, I felt like something was off. Like last time, when she had first disappeared. But I couldn't understand one thing, Did she manage to regain control? Or did Demi disappear somewhere? Honestly, I couldn't tell you. But from what I could see, Tia seemed very tense.

Does she feel the same way I do? Or is she preparing to fight? The way she's clutching her zanpakutou to her side, it's like she knows that it's not over. That's when I felt her reiatsu, and it was growing rapidly.

**~Chad's POV~**

Slowly, I walked towards Ichigo. The atmosphere seemed very tense. Everyone seemed anxious, or maybe confused? There was no way to tell.

Rukia and Renji followed behind me. Toushirou, Hinamori-San, and Rangiku-San stood beside each other, worry spread across each of their faces. Gin walked towards the three while Grimmjow stood there. His expression was unreadable as he looked around. Yoruichi-San and Nel stood beside Uryu. They had been silent, almost like they were assessing the current situation. As for Tia-San, well she was standing very still. Almost like she was waiting patiently for something or someone to make an appearance. However, from what I understood, Ichigo was the one taking this the hardest.

**~Tia's POV~**

I could see Chad, Rukia and Renji approach Ichigo from the corner of my eye. Ichigo looked very defensive. His reiatsu was also flaring because he was really confused about everything. I was able to detect regret coming from him the most though. But I could have laughed right now. He acted like he never wanted anyone around the two of them.

Honestly, I couldn't blame him. Not when I was the exact same way. Hell, I'm still like that. Just I haven't really showed it much. But I knew it would come down to this. With her current situation, Orihime wouldn't be able to obtain Bankai because Demi used up almost all her energy. But I was able to sense it slowly rising.

So while she's healing, it's my duty to stall for as long as I can. Til she's ready to use her Bankai.

**~Ichigo's POV~**

I continued to hold her. It felt right to have her in my arms. Although I wouldn't actually admit that out loud. I knew she was still alive and she asked for me to stab her, but I still felt guilty. Because it was my fault that Demi had used her. Abused her. Like she was an object.

But I knew better than to think that. She would never blame anybody but herself. She's so selfless, I feel bad because that's how she was easily manipulated. Crap. I think that's the reason why I wanna protect her from anyone or anything. And that's why... I love her. So much.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see Chad, Renji and Rukia stare at me. Sadness was reflected in their eyes.

"You gonna be okay, Ichigo?" Chad asked me.

When he asked me that, I wanted to scream 'Do I look okay?' but I refrained myself. I'm pretty sure Tia-San would agree with me when I say I'm overprotective of Orihime. But from what I've seen, so is she. Then again, she is the older sibling.

"Orihime-San." Renji whispered.

"Why did this happen to her again?" Rukia asked with a cracked voice.

I blinked. Then it occurred to me that it must have happened before. Or something like it. Why else would Demi hate Rukia so much? But now that I think about it, maybe I should have asked Tia-San before we left.

I sighed. Trying to get a hold on my emotions. None of the others needed to see me act this way. After all, Orihime had already seen me like this. I don't need anyone else knowing. No way. Definitely embarrassing.

My gaze turned back towards Orihime. I felt her reiatsu slowly rise. I found it rather comforting, despite the situation we're currently in. But it also made me feel remorse. Because I couldn't save her until it was too late.

My head dipped towards hers. Gently, I pressed my lips to her forehead. They lingered there as my eyes closed, drowning in her warmth. I pulled away though. Seeing as this was really not a good time to be doing this. Also because she wasn't awake. So it would've felt like I was taking advantage of her or something.

Just then I felt a dark spiritual pressure. It was coming towards the five of us. That's when I saw Demi coming towards me at lightning speed. If I hadn't noticed her black hair and dark green eyes, I would've mistaken her for Orihime.

Man, she's coming so damn fast. But who's she after? Me, Rukia, Renji Chad? Or perhaps.... My arms tightened around Orihime, almost like I was trying to fuse her within me. Her head was resting below my chin. But what am I supposed to do? Zangetsu was in the wall behind us.

Rukia, Renji and Chad stood in front of us, trying to cover us as much as possible. So we'd be shielded from Demi. Renji was getting ready to release his bankai while Rukia got into her pose and Chad powered up his arm.

Just as Demi was headed for Rukia, she vanished. It was until I sensed her behind me did I hear Rukia shout at me.

"ICHIGO! WATCH OUT!"

I turned to come face to face with two blades crossed. I looked up to see Tia-San beside her. So that's what she was waiting for. My eyes blinked before I saw her zanpakutou screeching against Demi's and caused her to go backwards.

She turned to look at me. "Ichigo... Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah I'm fine. Thanks Tia-San."

She smirked at me before tossing her zanpakutou in the air. However, it was actually spinning.

"Ichigo, I need you to make sure Hime wakes up without being harmed. It's the only way she can go into her bankai. Right now she's gathering the reiatsu she needs. I'll fight Demi for the time being. Ichigo, I'm trusting you with her life."

She turned to look at Demi. Her zanpakutou landed in her hand. She raised her arm as the blade started to glow.

"Ookami Tsume!"

She swung her arm and a streak of metallic blue erupted from her blade. Finally, the battle begins.

**~Hime's POV~**

I groaned. It's so bright but warm as well. Where am I? This place feels very familiar to me. But at the same time, it feels distant. I opened my eyes to find myself in a very different place. It was similar to my other world. But why do I have two?

I got to my feet and took a walk around. Maybe it would jog my memory. As I walked, the field got taller grass. Almost as if it was growing as I passed. The grass was so tall, I had to run through, waving my arms like a weed whacker to prevent myself from falling over.

When I got the clearing, I froze. There was a young woman with white hair and black streaks. She was sitting on a rock, looking up at the clear, blue sky.

"Ah, so you've come, my dear child."

I pushed down any fear I had. Slowly, my feet dragged me towards the woman. Maybe I knew her from long ago because I felt like I could really trust her.

"Umm.. Do I know you? You seem oddly familiar."

She chuckled. "Yes you do know me. Although we haven't spoken since you were younger."

She turned to look at me. I gasped when I saw her. Light silver eyes that sparkled in the sun's gaze.

"Do you remember me now, Orihime?"

"SHINA!"

**~Momo's POV~**

I was standing near Shiro-Kun. I was nervous as first as I watched Ichimaru-Taichou come closer to us. But when he held Rangiku-San, I realized that maybe he was never evil to begin with. Perhaps Aizen threatened him with Rangiku's life.

I felt my hand being squeezed. I looked at Shiro-Kun. He gave me a small smile. The type of smile that helped reassure me that everything would be alright.

"Don't worry Momo. Tia-Taichou is very strong. She won't lose."

**~Renji's POV~**

There's something different about the way Tia-Taichou is fighting. It's almost like she's stalling. For what purpose though?

I looked down at Rukia. She was standing beside me, her hand clutching my sleeve. Sweat was dripping down her face. I think she was more worried about Orihime-San than Tia-Taichou.

"Rukia."

Her gaze turned to look at me. I smirked at her.

"Hey, don't worry. Tia-Taichou knows what she's doing."

I hope.

**~Ichigo's POV~**

As I watched Tia clash swords with Demi, I couldn't help but notice her speed. It was way different than the last time, when we were headed towards Urahara's. What kind of powers does she have?

She smirked as she shunpo'd behind Demi, which resulted in her arm being cut. Demi roared in pain and lunged at Tia only to trip and fall flat on her face. What's odd about this fight is that it's like they're not even trying to kill one another. More like they're little children fooling around at the park.

Tia held her zanpakutou in the air preparing to swing but she froze. Her eyes closed and she moved her arm the zanpakutou was held in front of her face. That's when I felt her spiritual pressure sky rocket. Her eyes opened as she yelled.

"Bankai!"

**~Hime's POV~**

Suddenly I felt the ground shake. Almost like there was an earthquake. Shina's face held a frown that somehow reminded me of Ichigo's.

"It appears that Tia has released Rain. Orihime, listen to me. You've got to release me."

I blinked. "What?"

"If you don't, Tia will kill us. Remember, if anyone else kills Demi, we die too. Only we can kill her if we want to live."

"I understand."

"Don't worry. I will help you with killing her off. You just have to focus on aiming and choosing the attacks. If anyone gets in the way, I'll redirect them so they go towards Demi."

I nodded. "You can count on me Shina!"

She grinned. "I know I can. That's why I chose you as my master after all. Together we will bring her down! Until then, farewell my child."

A bright flash made me shield my eyes. It was a blinding white light. When I opened my eyes, the first person I saw was none other than Ichigo.

**~Ichigo's POV~**

Whoa. So that's what Tia's bankai looks like. A black and blue wolf appears beside her in what looks like a water form and summons rain. That's amazing! I've never seen that before, not even when she was training me.

I decided to move me and Orihime to a cliff. It was far away from the fight and I didn't want her to get caught up in it. Chad, Renji and Rukia moved to where Yoruichi-San and the others were. I wonder if she knew about Tia's bankai. Seeing Tia in her bankai makes me wonder what Orihime's looks like.

Just then, I felt like I was being watched. I looked all around me first but when I saw no one around, I thought I was being paranoid. I shook my head as I looked down at Orihime only to see her grey eyes starring up at me. My eyes widened.

"Orihime?" I whispered.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw her smile at me. She looked a bit tired, but she just woke up. So it was understandable.

"Ichigo. Are you alright?"

I looked at her before my grip tightened around her and I pushed her into my chest. I buried my face in her shoulder as her arms wrapped around my neck. Her face rested at the side of my neck.

"I'm sorry, Orihime. If only I had realized sooner, I could have prevented this from happening. Damn, I promised to protect you and yet I had to stab you just to save you."

"It's alright. It wasn't your fault. If anything it was mine. I shouldn't have let Demi get to me. Now because of it, everyone is in danger. But I'm gonna fix this. I promise." She whispered.

We sat there for a bit, not even caring about the fight happening below us. We pulled away and looked into each others eyes. She smiled at me and I couldn't help but smile back.

She stood up and walked towards the edge of the cliff. At first I didn't want to let her go. But then I figured that after this, she could be all mine.

She held out her hand. I watched as her zanpakutou formed in her hand. She looked at me, silently asking if she could go. I smirked at her and gave her a final nod to say she can. She gave me one last smile before pushing her foot off the cliff, heading towards the fight.

**~Tia's POV~**

Shit. This wasn't going the way I wanted it to. Because of the fact that I was fooling around, Rain was getting more tired by the minute. Also it didn't help that I haven't been in this form for a long time. But on the plus side, I did some serious damage to her. However, I don't know how much longer I can stall for her.

That's when I saw Demi point her finger. A blue light came from the tip and she was pointing directly at the others. I knew exactly what it was. A cero. She fired it and I ran desperately with Rain. I couldn't let them get hurt because of that bitch.

Luckily, Rain beat the blast and took the hit. The pressure however, caused her to collapse on her stomach. But because of how I endured it, I was able to remain in Bankai. I was really tired though.

"Tia-Dono!" Rukia screamed. I was covered in blood but that never stopped me from smiling at them. Her eyes showed horror but I couldn't figure out why. That's when I noticed Ichigo was standing with them but Orihime was missing. I was so lost in thought I failed to sense Demi behind me. She was able to strike me but when a zanpakutou appeared. I knew who it was right away. Her spiritual pressure stood out.

I turned to look as the other person's zanpakutou clashed with Demi's.

"Orihime."

* * *

**A/N:** That's where I'll end it. And yea It's a cliffie again XD

Ookami Tsume means wolf claw. I wanted it to be wolf slash but I couldn't find the Japanese word for it. XD

So what do ya think now? The battle will actually get better (hopefully) now that Orihime will be facing off against Demi. Let's hope I can write that ;)

Until next time, see ya later *waves*

~Tia-Chan~


	11. Two sides of the same Coin

OH MY GOODNESS!!

I am SOO Sorry that this story hasn't been updated in a few months!

GRAH! *strangles computer*

Not only did I have writer's block, but I also had more ideas for my other stories rather than working on this one!

I should've updated on Christmas Break!

But NO!

My brain went dead on me with this and I tried to start it, but blah. My brain froze XD

I guess you can say that my brain acts just like a computer *sticks out tongue*

*sigh* Without further delay, here it is!

Oh yes and Ichigo's Hollow will be in this chapter.

So his voice will be in _**bold italics. **_

Just so none of you are not confused between him and Demi.

* * *

Orihime stood in front of Tia. Her zanpakutou matched with Demi's. Each clash held the same ferocious blow as the other. They were evenly matched. No matter how you looked at it, it was like watching Orihime fight herself. It was a fight that no one could take their eyes off of. They were on par with one another. Something that Tia nor Ichigo could have done. Not that Tia was fighting her seriously anyways. It was only a mere distraction. To keep Demi from attacking her sister before she had enough strength to fight.

Orihime shunpo'd and caught Demi off guard, sending her sliding backwards on the polished floor. She took the opportunity given and slashed at her just scratching her shihakusho. She shunpo'd back in front of Tia and the others, counterattacking Demi's cero. The cero got diverted and clashed with the wall, smoke appearing between the two.

"**What's this? I didn't know you were so aggressive Orihime-sama." **Demi spat.

Orihime straightened her position into a comfortable fighting stance. Her zanpakutou held in front of her body, almost challenging Demi to attack once more. As she tilted it, the moon's light made the blade more elegant. They were able to see the gold and blue markings, resembling a dragon engraved on her blade.

"Who said I was being aggressive? I'm merely doing what I should have done years ago."

"**Oh?" **Demi raised an eyebrow **"Just what does that mean? Are you implying that you're gonna fight me seriously?"**

Orihime lowered her head as she whispered. "No. It means I'm gonna kill you."

Although it was a mere whisper, it echoed through the halls of Las Noches. Everyone heard what she said and they were all in shock. Well except for Tia of course. Demi was speechless before bursting into laughter. Her zanpakutou shaking in her hands as her laughter filled the silent void.

"**Don't think too highly of yourself Orihime-sama. What makes you think that you can beat me when not even your sister Tia could?"**

Orihime turned to look at all her comrades. Her gaze held Rukia's with a silent plead. Rukia's eyes softened when she saw the look in her eyes. They whispered '_I'm sorry. For everything.'_ Then her gaze shifted to Ichigo's. She wanted all of them to understand. Or at least try to understand that this was her fight. And it was her duty to finish it off.

She started to talk. Although her gaze was to everyone else, her words were aimed at Demi.

"I can tell that you're weaker than before. In the beginning you were using my energy and feelings to get the better of everyone here. Including me. But also, it's the fact that we're the same person. Although you're a hollow and I'm a shinigami, we share the same body. Which also includes our powers. Besides, I'm the only one who knows you the best. That's why I know I'm the only one who can take you down."

She turned to look at Demi who had a smirk on her face.

"**Well then," **Demi moved into an attack position. **"When you put it that way..." **Her eyes glared at her master. **"Bring. It. On... Orihime-sama."**

And with a flash, two swords clashed once more.

* * *

_**~Demi's POV~**_

**Those eyes. I hate them. Their the kind that seem to spread light over the thick, black darkness. It's suffocating. I feel like I'm dying when exposed to that kind of warmth. No matter what, I try to steep myself in darkness. It saves me and protects me from things like hopes and wishes. But when I saw my master look towards her fellow comrades, I felt that burning impulse. The one that could bring me to my knees...**

**All I want is freedom. It's something worth fighting for. You see it everyday. Whether it's humans or animals. Even shinigami. I bet they wish for a different lifestyle. I'd do anything just to obtain that kind of freedom. Where I can have my own body and not share my powers with my master. **

**It's not that I hate her. Oh god no! I don't hate her. It's just that I've always wanted to experience something new. Where you can actually just be yourself and be accepted for it. Not get used by anybody. It's a good way for me to sink into the darkness without ruining other people's lives. I could live in a world that's mine and mine alone.**

**I feel deprived of that right. Why do hollows have to suffer through all this pain and torture? Do shinigami or humans have to suffer as much as we do? Huh. That's a question that can't really be answered. Just hypothetical I guess. But still, it's such a nasty feeling. Not knowing where you came from. Not knowing who you were before you turned this way. You lose all memories of your past life and just know that pain and suffering exists. It's such a lonely and frightening feeling. I wish it would just disappear...**

* * *

_**~Ichigo's POV~**_

I swallowed thickly. Trying to regain my composure. The fear and nervousness I felt when watching her fight, it just hurts. So much. The sweat rolling down my cheeks doesn't really help much in this case. But, I should be trying to do something. Anything! But there's something keeping me from protecting Orihime. No, it wasn't fear. It was pride. Of course, of all times, pride has to come in the way of keeping her safe. Away from harm. Instead all I could do was watch.

When I think of it that way, perhaps it was better this way. I remember feeling the same way as Orihime. I had doubts and insecurities when I first became a shinigami. I would always think about whether I was strong enough to protect every soul. Or if I had enough courage to actually slay someone. When Rukia told me that hollows were fallen souls, I was really shocked. I was having second thoughts about doing the duties of a shinigami. But when I saw Orihime's brother as a hollow, I had to protect her. Even if it was just because she was one of my friends back then, it doesn't change the way I feel about her now.

Even though I was trying so hard to keep still, I felt like darting off past Tia-san and running in the middle of their fight. When I saw Orihime taking punches and kicks as if she couldn't feel a thing, I wanted to kill Demi myself. Hatred for her hollow seeped through my veins. Making my blood boil with only one motive. Seek and destroy.

My hand clutched around Zangetsu with so much force, I ended up getting Rukia, Renji, Uryu and Yoruichi-san's attention. Luckily for me, Tia-san still had her back turned to us. She seemed fine now that she was standing without the help of her zanpakutou, Rain.

One of the oddest things I have ever seen was that Rain was still out. She just sat quietly and patiently. Her ears were perked up, like she was listening to the fight rather than watching with her eyes. Her form changed so she was now an ice wolf. I found that pretty weird at first. How Rain could switch from water form to ice form. But it actually made sense after. After all, ice is just frozen water.

Another thing I noticed about her was the way she sat beside Tia-san. Tia-san's zanpakutou was in the ground on her left side. Yet Rain was sitting as if she was an obedient dog. They must have a really good bond with each other if Tia-san doesn't have to wield her blade for Rain to appear.

I walked closer to the battle. It was weird because everyone was so tuned in with the battle they never noticed that I was in front of Tia-san. Or so I thought.

"**_King, I wouldn't go any further."_**

My feet stopped and I turned to look at where the voice came from. Sure enough, there he was. Standing beside Tia-san with a serious look on his face.

"Shiro..." I growled.

* * *

_**~Tia's POV~**_

I watched in amusement as Ichigo and Shiro locked gazes. Since I helped Ichigo with his hollow training, he had agreed to letting his hollow help with some of them. It was more of a mutual agreement I guess. Shiro agreed to not fight for control if he got out once in a while. I know that seemed out of character, but of course, it was a rather difficult situation.

* * *

_**~Flashback~**_

_When I had gotten back from Orihime's house and yelling at everyone, Ichigo came up to me. _

"_Tia-san, could you help me control my hollow? I know that Inoue went missing and everyone is worried about her... But I feel that I have to do this if I can be any help with this situation."_

_His eyes showed determination and stubbornness. Meaning he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. I sighed._

"_Might as well. Since Kisuke is getting the garganta ready for us to head to Hueco Mundo, I suppose we have time to train. But I'll only help you if you stop complaining about your hollow interfering with your fights. Cause that's what makes the training worse."_

_He retorted. "I don't complain! And I'm not a whiner!"_

"_Did you forget that I could read minds?" I chuckled as he turned away, a small bush stained his cheeks._

_I started to walk towards Kisuke's basement, Ichigo following not too far behind me. I jumped down rather than taking the ladder cause they're so useless if you can jump to high places. Ichigo did the same thing I did, I'm assuming he didn't want to waste time either. I figured that the sooner this is dealt with, the less problems we have later on._

"_Sit in the center of this circle." I pointed towards the circle of rocks. He shrugged and sat down._

"_Now what I'm gonna do is force your hollow out. It might a bit but it's the only way I can think of that won't waste a lot of time. So brace yourself."_

_I took the hilt of Zangetsu and stabbed it through his chest. I could tell it hurt him because he screamed at the top of his lungs. Ughh. I was so gonna have a headache after this. I waited a few seconds before yanking it out of him which resulted in his hollow appearing before me._

"_**WHAT. THE. FUCK?! Do you know how much that hurts? You don't go and ram someone's zanpakutou-" **I cut him off as I kicked him in the gut and pressed my foot down on his chest. Pinning him beneath me so he couldn't escape._

"_So you're Ichigo's hollow eh? Wow you two look exactly alike! Seriously if I didn't know any better I'd say you guys are twins. But I can tell you're the one with a huge attitude problem. I'd get that checked if I were you." I smirked at him._

_His eyes went wide as sweat fell down his face. He knew i was serious even though I was using my sweet voice. Wow maybe I hung out with Rukia a little too much when I was younger. I switched my gaze towards Ichigo. The process made him switch to his shinigami form. He was staring at me with some random look I couldn't really understand._

"_Alright, now we're gonna start." I took my foot off his hollow and yanked him off the ground. He growled at me as I walked towards the center of the two._

"_Now, here are the rules. You have to attack each other with everything you have. No holding back. Because you can't determine whose stronger if one holds back. Use everything you know to your advantage. Don't hesitate either. That will leave you vulnerable to your opponent. If you don't take this training seriously... I'll destroy both of you. This is no time for fun and games." I looked at his hollow with a glare. He just sneered and turned to look around the basement as if he was bored._

"_Also," his hollow looked back at me curiously. "This fight isn't merely about control. It's about teamwork. Without the cooperation of one, the other cannot reach their full potential. This fight is also about courage and pride. So," I walked towards the mountain. I stood at the top and looked down at the two who looked back up at me._

"_Let's see what you've got."_

_~End Flashback~_

* * *

I snapped out of my thoughts to hearing Shiro and Ichigo going at it. Over what? Well... Obviously the fight my sister's in right now.

"You want me to just leave her to fight on her own? She **NEEDS** us! Why aren't you letting me go help her?"

"**_It's better that you don't! She needs to deal with this herself! It was the same way with you! Did anyone help you when we were going at it?"_** Shiro snapped.

Ichigo froze as his eyes widened in realization. When he remained quiet, Shiro continued.

"**_Do you honestly think that for one second I don't want to help her? IF you seriously thought that, then your really stupid King. I would love to go and help her win this fight! I would love to go and keep her safe and make sure she never has to fight again! But I won't! Why? Because this is something she needs to do on her own! We can't always be there to help her King! Even you should know that!"_**

"That's **BULLSHIT**! I P**ROMISED** her that I would protect her! Even if I die in the process! **I NEVER GO BACK ON MY WORD**! I'm not just gonna sit around watching helplessly as she gets her ass kicked by a fucking bitch who used her for her own selfish needs!" Ichigo yelled back.

"_**Take a look around you King! Do you see anyone of them going to help her? Do you see TIA going in to help her only sister? NO! WHY? Because of the fact that Tia knows that Orihime can do this on her own! Tia knows that her sister is strong to fight and WIN! And she also knows that when it comes to hollow training, no one can interfere. Remember our fight? Tia sat on the cliff and watched us MURDER each other! Did she interfere? NO! WHY? Because she believed that we can work this out on our own! I bet Tia would love to go in and fight along her sister! But she's holding back because she doesn't want to harm Orihime! Have you ever thought that maybe if any of us had went in to help her, Orihime could truly die? Not just DEMI, BUT ORIHIME AS WELL!"**_

Just then all went silent. The only thing you could hear was Orihime and Demi fighting. Shiro and Ichigo were glaring at each other now. You could see the intensity of their wills. Man was it ever intense over here. Probably more than on the battlefield right now. I decided that if I was ever gonna have a say in this, it should be now.

"Shiro is right."

Everyone turned to look at me. Shock and surprise filled their faces.

"I think it's about time I decided to tell you guys what I know. And what my feelings are for my sister."

* * *

**A/N:** That's where I'll end it. Jeez another cliffie. Who knew? LOL oh right. ME! Well actually I was intending on making it longer but I decided to stop since there's so much intensity.

I'm pretty sure I got Shiro (Ichigo's hollow) in character. Just so you know, he materialized into Las Noches. (Tia taught him how to. And that will be explained in the next chapter as well as the rest of Ichigo's hollow training)

There might be two or three more chapters after this one. I honestly haven't figured it out yet.

I decided to tell you about Demi a bit more. Her true reasoning for taking over Orihime's body. (Might be a bit more next chapter. Haven't decided just yet *scratches head*)

I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Looking at it, I think the intensity and raw emotions in the characters' dialogue says more than what I do as the author.

Perhaps after this story there will be a sequel. I was actually thinking about it.

Tia's lieutenant comes in the next chapter! So you finally get to see not only her lieutenant, but her best friend XD (Aside from Rukia and Renji of course)

I think I may change some of the chapters (If you haven't noticed, I did change some of them already. Spelling mistakes and such)

I had major writing block but the next chapters are plotted in my head and they won't go away XD

So til next time! *waves*

~Tia-Chan~


	12. Determination

So finally after a few months, I'm updating this story. I dunno why it's taken me so long to actually work on this. I guess with everything in my life I didn't make time to update certain stories. So I figured I'd update the drabbles first since they're easier to think of ideas for. But this scene has been stuck in my head so I might as well get it out already XD.

* * *

**_~Someone's POV~_**

Looking back at things now, it was definitely worth it. Ichigo and Shiro were able to come to some sort of truce. Perhaps it wasn't just Tia's influence either. Maybe they just got tired of fighting over something completely ridiculous. I mean, it was really stupid to fight over who'd be 'King' and who'd be the 'horse'. In certain situations they should switch between the two roles without arguing over it like two little kids fighting over candy. But it's not like I'd know. I don't have a hollow inside me like Tia or Orihime. Ichigo should be glad he has someone else to help him with battles.

I sighed as I thought about this. I had to get to Las Noches and fast. Tia had told me all about the situation when she asked if I'd seen her sister around. Obviously I'd say no because it was true. Then she asked me how things were going in the Soul Society. I told her that things were doing fine. There were the occasional hollows, but everything was fine and calm. With the help of Kisuke, I was able to get through the garganta and I'm now heading towards the battlefield. I just hope I make it in time.

* * *

**_~Tia's POV~_**

Everything was quiet. Yoruichi was watching the battle between Orihime and Demi. I scratched the back of my head as I tried to think of a way to explain my side of things. Or more like why I'd agree with a hollow.

"Tia-dono, what do you mean? How is his hollow right?" Rukia asked.

Shiro growled. **_"I have a name y'know! Learn to use it midget!"_**

Rukia glared at him. "I have a name too! Why are you calling me a midget?"

He shrugged. _**"I call them as I see them. Besides, King calls you midget without getting yelled at. So I decided to call you that too." **_

Rukia charged at him but Shiro was able to hold her back by her head. She tried striking him but she was shorter so she couldn't reach. Shiro wore a smirk at her attempts to strike him.

I growled in annoyance but before I could say anything, Rain beat me to it.

"**Would you two shut the fuck up? Stop fucking fighting and bitching and let Tia explain dammit! Before I attack both of you myself!"**

The two stopped fighting immediately and looked at me. I sighed. This wasn't gonna be easy.

"What Rain means is, you two shouldn't be fighting over something stupid like that. It won't solve anything. And it's pointless as hell. Stop acting childish. You can fight all you want after we get rid of Demi. But if you want to know why I agree with him, then shut up and pay attention."

"Tia-san, what part that Shiro spoke of that you agree with?" Uryu asked me.

"Well, I agree with him when he said that we won't always be there for her."

Ichigo definitely looked at me now. I couldn't tell if he hated me for what I was saying, but I spoke up anyways.

"You see, it's my fault. As the oldest, I took the responsibility of protecting Orihime. When I first saw her as a baby, I felt a strong urge to protect her. I know that it's the older siblings job to protect the siblings born after them, but at the same time, you have to give them space. If all you did was protect them, you're not letting them get stronger. That's why I believe that I deprived her of that right. If I let her fight Demi all on her own now, it will not only prove that she's strong, but that she can hold on her own without being protected or needing assistance."

"That still doesn't change the fact that I swore to her I'd protect her. Tia-san, I never back down from my promises. I-"

"Silence, Ichigo!"

He backed away and shut his mouth when he saw me look at him.

"If you always defend her, she won't be able to get stronger. I understand that there are some situations where you feel like you have no choice but to. But have you ever thought that maybe she didn't want to be protected?"

His eyes widened and I sighed.

"Ichigo, has it ever occurred to you that maybe she'd want to protect you? Have you ever thought that for once she'd love to help fight instead of sitting on the sidelines watching you risk your life for her? Obviously it hasn't. That's why I agree with Shiro when he said that we won't always be there for her. If we always protect her, she's just gonna keep depending on us to be there when she needs us. I don't want my sister to be like that. I know that it's way harder for you to understand since you've done the protecting in my place, but you gotta see it from either mine or Orihime's perspective. I refuse to allow my sister to be like that. She's a strong girl that doesn't always need to be protected and guarded all the time."

"Tia-taichou! Look out behind you!" Renji and Toushirou yelled.

"SANTEN KESSUN!" Just then a orange shield surrounded all of us and absorbed the cero. Orihime and Demi stood right in front of us, their swords locked together.

"**My, my, my. Seems like little princess Orihime is stronger than I gave her credit for. Too bad that trick needs concentrating. Which leaves you wide open."**

Just then Orihime smirked. "Since when do I have to concentrate to keep my shield up?"

Demi blinked in disbelief. **"What?"**

She caught Demi off guard and slashed at her arm, causing her to almost drop her zanpakutou on the ground. I noticed everyone staring in disbelief. Well except for Shiro who continued to smirk like a crazy person. Yoruichi was watching carefully with her cat-like eyes. Nel was awed by her strength as she was perched on Grimmjow's shoulder. He was actually smirking too. Probably because he enjoyed this fight. Everyone else was shocked though. But it's to be expected I guess. Rain just sat there, her ears perked up.

I wonder how long it will take before she goes into her bankai.

* * *

**_~Rukia's POV~_**

Everyone of us were shocked to say the least. Well, not everybody. But about half of us. Maybe more. I was also thinking about Tia-dono's words. Even I realized how protective Ichigo was of Orihime. He was worse than he was with me. I always thought Ichigo could never be that defensive.

I guess he always thought of Hime as someone who absolutely needed to be safe. I did notice how she was at school. She was a bit clumsy, and really cheerful. She was always gentle and kind. Someone who couldn't hurt a fly. But seeing this side of her, made me realize just how much of her I was missing. Even when we were kids, she was super sweet and adorable. She never left my side. Or Tia's. She was even attached to Renji.

She accepted both of us without a second thought.

Hime never cared about where we came from. I mean she cared, but she didn't let that affect our friendship. Whenever people made fun of us, she'd always be there to cheer us up afterwards. She'd always get Tia to beat the crap out of the people who made fun of us.

I was really depressed and frustrated when I killed her though. I hadn't planned on doing that when I went to go stop her. I was trying to get her to wake up from being controlled. But when I watch her fighting now, it made me realize that maybe she wasn't trying to kill us back then.

No, she was trying to reach out to us.

* * *

**_~Ichigo's POV~_**

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I was really devastated. I wanted to kill myself for not thinking about what Orihime wanted. All this time, I did what I thought was best for **her**. I never even considered her feelings or what she wanted to do. I always thought that she'd need my help. I was fully prepared to be her faithful and loyal bodyguard. Even if I died. If she was alive, I wouldn't care.

But now, I can actually understand her more. I now know what it feels like to watch helplessly from the sidelines while someone you care about is fighting to protect you. I had no idea that Orihime felt this way. Well, I guess I do now. But the fact that my hollow knew more about it than I did. That really irked me the most.

I guess he feels the same way too. Now I don't blame him for trying to take control half the time. I guess I wanted to keep him safe. There was always the slight chance that he could get hurt because I couldn't protect him, and I'd be the one to blame. **And no, before you think something else. I'm not gay.** Shiro is apart of me. Whether he likes me or not, I don't care about that. But I do need him. Just as he needs me.

As I watch Orihime fight Demi, I came to realize a few things. For one, Orihime is really strong for someone who doesn't like fighting. Secondly, she looks more beautiful than ever before. Thirdly, I truly love her. Without a doubt. I actually know my feelings for her without a second thought.

* * *

**_~Hime's POV~_**

I don't know why I'm stalling. It's like I'm waiting for the perfect moment to use bankai or something. But I know that I don't want to go right into it. That's not how Tia taught me to fight. Even Yoruichi-san told me that when it came to using bankai, I'd know. But I think there's something holding me back. I just can't think of it yet.

I continued to slash and dodge Demi's blade. When I saw Demi use that cero and point it towards everyone, I knew I had to protect them all. The only problem with that was I was too far away from them to use shunpo. So I couldn't deflect it. That's why I decided to test out my Shun Shun Rikka. I hadn't used them since I was healing Rukia. But they weren't fused with my zanpakutou.

Our swords clashed again and again. I was in the air when I decided to try one of my moves. I was still getting used to using my zanpakutou again. I just hope I can wield her when it came to using bankai.

"Dragon wave!" A wave of white erupted from my zanpakutou and headed towards Demi. Bingo! It actually hit. But the explosion sent me to my feet right in front of Tia and the others. I balanced myself and tried to focus on the fight rather than who was watching.

I sighed and looked at Tia. She was smiling at me. Wow, I guess that means she's proud. Well I knew better though. Tia was always proud of me. Whether it was fighting or schooling, she was always happy. As long as I was happy, she was too.

* * *

**_~Ichigo's POV~_**

HOLY. FUCK. She was amazingly awesome. Like wow. I was left speechless. Zangetsu fell from my hands but no one really seemed to notice.

Everyone else seemed shocked too. Except for Tia and Shiro. He was actually laughing.

"_**Wow, who would've known that Hime was amazing? She's so pro when it comes to fighting. She's even better than you King. But then again, she is the leader of the Soul Society for nothing y'know. You shouldn't be that surprised."**_

Damn, he did have a good point. Obviously she's strong. Otherwise, she wouldn't be the other leader of the Soul Society. I watched as her eyes went to me. I smiled at her and she smiled back. Orihime stayed in front of her shield as it glowed brightly. For some reason she never took it down yet. I wonder why.

"Orihime-san, why is your shield still up?" Momo asked her.

She looked at Momo with a serious look. There was something about how she was holding her zanpakutou, it was like it wasn't over.

"Something's off. Demi's not gone yet. That move was my weakest. There's no way she'd be killed by that one blast."

"Where did she go, Orihime?" Rain asked.

She placed her left hand on her chin, trying to think. She looked up at us. "I'm not really sure. Usually she doesn't hide around like this. And normally I'd be able to sense where she is. Either she's really weak and her spiritual pressure is low, or she has a lot and cloaked it. After all, she does have the same spiritual pressure as me. So she could easily camouflage herself with mine."

"_**Tch. What a wussy. If she has to hide from you like a coward, how low can she be? In any case, show her whose boss Hime." **_Shiro said with a smirk.

Orihime continued to look around. "Huh. I guess I misjudged her. After all, she is smarter than me and has more experience. However... If she thinks I'm an IDIOT-" She swung her blade around and stuck Demi right in the stomach. Her eyes were wide. Was it because she was shocked? Or was it because she thought that Orihime was distracted?

"**How? How did you know-"**

"Where you were?" Orihime finished her sentence for her. "Did you forget that we share the same mind and shadow? Which means, wherever you move," She slashed her again. "I can see. It's also very helpful that I have the moon. The light that the moon casts off helps with reflecting shadows. If you hadn't blown the roof off, you would've caught me off guard."

Demi glared at her as black reiatsu engulfed her. She jumped away and held out her zanpakutou. Kuroryuu shined as her spiritual pressure raised higher. She smirked evilly as she watched all of us.

"**I'm gonna make you wish you never pissed me off Orihime-sama. It's time you learned the true meaning of fighting." **

Her face turned from a teasing smirk to a serious scowl.

"**Bankai!"**

Her black spiritual pressure engulfed her as she transformed. This time though, there was a black dragon surrounding Demi. It had red eyes and wings just below the head. The dragon roared loudly and the density of her reiatsu almost made all of us collapse to our knees. The only ones still standing up right were Tia, Rain, Yoruichi, and Orihime. Even Shiro was balancing himself on the white version of Zangetsu.

Toushirou was holding onto Momo as he stabbed his zanpakutou in the ground. Renji was using Zabimaru to block the energy and kept Rukia close to him. Gin was keeping Rangiku-san safe as well. Chad was able to fend off the roar with his new armour he got with the training from Renji. Uryu stood behind his arm before Chad let it fall back to his side. Grimmjow was holding Nel in his arms real tight. Not that she seemed to mind I guess.

I was keeping myself up and Shiro was beside me. I'm glad I didn't have to grab onto him. Both of us were watching Orihime. What I don't understand was she was just standing there. Her hair was blowing in the wind. Her hand clutched Shiroryuu without problems. If anything, she was gripping her zanpakutou tighter than she had to.

Yoruichi-san was standing beside Tia-san. Of course she was standing next to me now and Rain was in front of her. Just sitting like she was before. One thing I don't understand is how they're not surprised by this. Then again, I guess they're just used to it. But how can Shiro be affected by this? He's a hollow like Demi is.

No, Demi isn't a hollow. She's a zanpakutou. But so is Shiro. Or that's what he told me.

"You're gonna teach me what the true meaning of fighting is?" I watched as Orihime smirked. Whoa, now that's a scary look. I hope she doesn't use that on me. Yikes that's scary.

"You don't even know what the true meaning is. All you know is instinct." I noticed how Shiro's eyes widened. Was it because he told me that the true meaning of fighting was instinct?

"Demi, you pathetic. You judge people before you even know them. You assumed that Rukia was a bitch because she killed us a long time ago. But the truth is, she didn't kill us. She saved us."

"**Oh? How did she save us? By stabbing us in the heart?" **She snarled at Orihime. **"Is that how you save somebody Orihime? Tell me right now! How do you save somebody? By being a backstabber? By betraying your friends to protect yourself? Don't joke around with me! You don't understand the loneliness I had to go through. Since the first time you got Shina, all you did was focus on her! You never even acknowledged my existence! Do you even realize how that made me feel?"**

She looked back at all of us. Her eyes glued to me and Shiro the longest. I wish I knew what the hell she was thinking right now.

"Y'know what Demi? It shouldn't matter. What happens in the past, stays in the past. It shouldn't even be something you brought up. But if you want me to answer. I did acknowledge your existence. It was **you** who didn't want to respond. I even tried talking to you when I was sick. But you never said a word. All you did was sit all alone at the top of the tower. I felt every move you made. I know exactly what you want right now. What you want is freedom. You don't want to be part of me anymore. Instead, you want to do what you want to. So in a way, I shouldn't stop you because I'd be doing what Tia thought she did to me. But since you're already in bankai form, I might as well fight you."

She turned around to look at Demi. "You should know that I never wanted things to end this way. But since you don't understand, it looks like I'll have to teach you a lesson."

I felt her spiritual pressure skyrocket like it did before. It feels totally different than last time. That's probably because I had her in my arms at that moment. But now that she's standing in front of me, it feels so.. real. Even Shiro seemed interested. He couldn't take his eyes off the whole battle.

She extended her right arm as Shiroryuu glowed. Her spiritual pressure surrounded her and all you could see was the white and blue swirling together.

"Bankai!"

Just then everything went white.

* * *

**_~ Someone's POV~_**

I stopped as I entered Las Noches. I felt that incredible spiritual pressure. I smirked. So Orihime finally went into bankai. After she promised not to use it, she still went and broke that promise. Well it wasn't that surprising since she is Tia's sister after all. And when they have to, they end up breaking promises. But sometimes it's better that way.

When it comes down to Orihime, I think of her as a sister. Since after all, I'm an only child. So me and Tia are very close. Despite being lieutenant and captain. But we never treat each other that way. No, we treat each other like friends do. I tried to treat her as my captain, but she kicked my ass for doing so. Even Orihime laughed when she saw us fighting over it.

* * *

"_Erm, Tia-taichou?"_

_She glared at me. "What did I tell you Kari?"_

"_But I-"_

"_No buts! I told you to treat me like a normal shinigami, not as your captain!" _

_I blinked at her in confusion. "But why don't you want me to treat you that way? You **are** my captain!"_

_She sighed. "I don't want to be seen that way. It makes me feel... important. I want to just be a normal shinigami for once. I don't want to feel different from everyone else. I know it's out of respect and all, but I really hope that one day, I can be treated the same way other shinigami treat each other. Since after all, when shinigami are friends and have the same status, they only call each other by their names. They don't say 'Yoruichi-taichou' or anything. Well I don't. But that's because she said I could just call her by her name. Even she doesn't call me 'Tia-taichou'."_

_I stuttered, trying to think of something to retort back but Orihime cut me off._

"_Y'know you should just call her Tia. It'd make her happy. I'm glad that people don't call me 'Orihime-sama' or anything like that. I actually understand where my sister is coming from. I think it'd drive me nuts. So please Kari-chan? Just call her Tia. It'd make her really happy!" She giggled happily._

_I sighed. "Alright fine. Tia?"_

"_What is it?" _

_I smiled. "Thank you."_

_She smirked. "Anytime."_

_

* * *

_

Even thinking about that now of all times, I can honestly say, that was a stupid thing to fight over. With that I laughed and shunpo'd towards Tia and the others.

* * *

**_~Tia's POV~_**

I laughed. Ichigo and everyone else stared at me with confused looks.

"So you've finally showed up, Kari."

I turned to look at her. Everyone else did too. She was my height. She had light green hair with green eyes. Her shihakusho was dark green and black. I swear, she can pass as Demi to a certain extent.

She smiled at me. "It's been a while, Tia. I can see that Orihime is as strong as ever. Not surprising, after all, her powers didn't really go anywhere. They were sealed within her all this time and now she can finally deal with her inner demons. Just like Ichigo did."

"Ichigo, Shiro, Chad, Uryu, Grimmjow, Nel... This is Kari, my best friend and lieutenant."

Ichigo eyes widened a bit before he understood. "Ah, I see then. That's how she knew who I was. You must have told her about me right?"

I shrugged. "More or less. She was wondering what I was doing with you and I explained to her about your hollow problem. I guess I haven't really explained how Shiro was able to materialize out of Ichigo's inner world have I?"

Kari smirked. "I want to hear about that. You were gonna tell me but I guess you didn't have time to. I want to know now."

I sighed. "Alright fine. It went something like this."

* * *

_As I watched Ichigo and Shiro go bankai, I realized a few things. One thing was that they moved in synch. Well that's a good thing seeing as you can't work together if you're not on the same page. Secondly, Shiro wanted to do some fooling around instead of getting right to the point. Three, he believed that in order to be the 'King', you needed to have the raw instinct when it came down to fighting. Apparently that was something that Ichigo didn't have. _

_One thing I also saw was how Shiro said that all Ichigo did was fight with reason. Well that's how I fight and I'm really strong. But then again, Shiro is a male hollow. And he cares about pride and honour and all that crap. Jeez, I'm gonna have to bash his head in to get the message through him. _

_Just then, Ichigo stabbed Shiro with Zangetsu. Wow. He actually won this fight. Well I wasn't that surprised, but I thought it'd be a tie. They were both on par. But I guess Ichigo had more smarts than Shiro did. Well, whatever I guess. _

_I jumped into the middle, causing Zangetsu to break in half. Both of them looked at me in shock. I smirked at them._

"_Alright boys, I get the picture. I know exactly what the problem is. Now sit down." I pushed both of them so they sat on their asses. Jeez, I swear I'm gonna have to beat them myself. _

_I sighed. This was gonna be hard but also easy at the same time._

"_Now, I get what the real problem is. Hollow, you don't have a name do you?"_

_He looked at me. "**No, I'm just a nameless monster living inside of Ichigo. Kinda pathetic isn't it?"**_

_I sighed. "Yeah, it really is." I placed my hand on my chin, trying to think of a name for him. Just then it hit me._

"_I know! Why don't we call you Shiro?"_

_Both of them looked at me with wide eyes. "S-Shiro? Why Shiro?"_

_I looked at them with disbelief. I punched him in the arm. "Because you idiot, it's short for Shirosaki Hichigo. See what I did was combine Shiro with Ichigo's last name because 'Kuro' means 'black'. And Ichigo's last name is 'Kurosaki'. The name 'Hichigo' I got from taking the 'H' from the word 'hollow' since your a hollow, and added it to the front of Ichigo's name since you look **exactly** like Ichigo. It matches perfectly! And I don't think you'd want to be called Hichigo. So Shiro fits better. Plus 'Shiro' means' white'." I smirked._

_Ichigo looked at me and then his hollow. "Y'know it does make a perfect fit. I just thought that hollows don't have names. Or at least they don't go by any names. Otherwise if I'd known that, I would've given him a name when I first saw him. I didn't really want to call him Zangetsu cause that's the name of my zanpakutou."_

"_True, but at the same time, Shiro is apart of you just like Zangetsu. But yeah I guess it makes sense if you didn't want to call him your zanpakutou's name." I shrugged. _

"_Now there's one more problem that I found. The name was one thing. But there's another issue that needs to be solved before you can fight without any harassment from Shiro."_

_Ichigo blinked. "What's that?"_

_I sighed. "You're taking all the power from him and not giving anything back! See Shiro was right with his 'King' and 'Horse' metaphor thing. The 'horse' is the source of the power while the 'King' uses it to fight. What I think would solve your problem is if you let him be the 'king' once in a while. I mean if you have any problems with fights or you just want to relax, let Shiro take control. It's actually not that bad. I do it all the time. My hollow hasn't bugged me in forever because I let her do what she wants. If she pisses me off, then she gets punished. But if she sticks with the rules we have, then there's no problem. I can even teach Shiro how to materialize into this world."_

_His eyes widened. **"Seriously? How can I do that?"**_

"_Well, say your in Ichigo's room and there's a hollow alert. All you have to do is imagine Ichigo's room and then pull yourself out. Basically just focus on Ichigo's surroundings and close your eyes and BAM!" I clapped my hands together causing them to flinch. "You're in this world. And there's no pain like how I dragged you out before." I smiled. _

_He nodded in understanding. I patted his head. _

"_Good, glad you understand. Now Ichigo, all you have to do is let Shiro have some time out of your head once in a while and he won't be fighting you. Understand?"_

"_Yeah, I do Tia-san. Thank you."_

_I grinned at both of them. "You're welcome... Ichigo. Now come on, let's go check on Kisuke."_

_They both nodded as we headed upstairs._

_

* * *

_

I scratched my head. "And that's the whole story. That's how Shiro got here and that's how Ichigo's hollow problem was solved. I know it sounds a bit weird. But that's how it went."

"That makes sense. That's how you solved your hollow problem Tia. And it works so far. There hasn't been problems yet." Kari agreed.

"Yeah, let's just hope Orihime can deal with this on her own though." Yoruichi added.

Everyone turned to look at the fight. Orihime was now in bankai. She was surrounded by Shina, the white dragon. Actually that's Demi's twin sister. The good one mind you. She looked like Demi except she was silvery white. Her wings were below her head like Demi's bankai. Also her eyes were a silvery grey and shone brighter than the moon.

"Everyone, this is what Orihime's bankai looks like. Watch as long as you can, cause this fight won't last much longer."

Everyone was so speechless the only thing you could hear was the sound of blades. Which meant that Orihime had once again, clashed with Demi.

The final battle was underway.

Who was going to win this battle?

**Demi...**

Or...

Orihime?

* * *

**A/N: **Alright that's where I'll end it. I know I'm evil for another cliffie. But I think that's where it should stop.

Thanks to my friend Sophii I was able to post this. (Since her internet works XD BTW she doesn't have an account on this website nor does she write fanfiction.)

The someone's POV was Kari's POV. I didn't want to give it away by putting her name in there. So I just put someone instead. XD

I hope this could make up for the long wait I made you guys go through. Thank goodness I had no school today otherwise I would've been extremely tired!

But it was worth it.

Yes, Orihime's bankai is different but sort of similar to Toushirou's. It may actually be different. It's up to you I guess. *shrugs*

Anyways, please R&R! This is 10 pages long!! ((Technically 11 because of the Author's note. But if there wasn't one, it'd be 10 pages! XD))

~Tia-Chan~


	13. Victory

Alright so I figured that I should get this story done and over with so it's one less story to work on XD not just that. I think I keep dragging the story on longer than it should be. Hmm.. *ponders*

I will most likely rewrite a few chapters cause when I read the whole thing it's kinda random and not really together. So I think it'd be best if I wrote some of the chapters differently.. Although that will take some time since I just want to get this one done and over with.

There will be one more chapter after this one. But the fight is over in this chappy!

* * *

_**~Ichigo's POV~**_

Wow. That's all I can say. Well, more like that's all my brain can progress. I finally know what her bankai looks like and now that I've seen it up close, I'm stunned. No wonder why she never used it. The energy that surrounded her was so massive! Tia was right when she said that it could make people collapse or get hurt severely. And since we're in an open area, Orihime has all the space she needs to use it without any of us being affected somehow.

"Things have taken a different turn than I thought they would. Tia, were you expecting this to happen?" Kari asked curiously.

I turned my gaze towards Tia. She was watching the battle with curious eyes.

Tia shook her head. "No, I wasn't expecting any of this to happen. Not like this anyways. Why isn't she using Shina? Is she stalling or does she have something else in mind?"

"Do you think that maybe she needs to get used to using Shina again? I mean after all, she hasn't used her in quite sometime since her powers were sealed off." Uryu suggested.

When I saw Orihime fighting Demi, they moved so fast and in synch. It made me look slow mo in comparison. I kept looking at Tia, trying to figure out what she was thinking. It made me wonder how she can look so calm and so serious at the same time. That's how Orihime was. Or at least, that's how she tried to be. In certain situations, I could read her like an open book. But ever since we came back from the Soul Society, I couldn't read her at all. She acted so distant from everyone. Mainly me. Now I know why.

"Orihime!" Rukia yelled. I snapped out of my gaze and looked towards the fight. While they were clashing blades, Demi had knocked Shina out of Orihime's hand and pinned her up against the wall. Her hand laid on her neck as her zanpakutou stood in the way of the moonlight. I wonder if Orihime had planned that intentionally.

"_**Don't go King. She's fine. Hime will win for sure. If you beat me, there's no doubt in my mind that she'll beat Demi. So just give her time. And look."**_ Shiro stated while pointing his finger. I blinked before I realized that she was glowing. Her feet had touched the wall and she kicked herself off as she did a back flip and nailed Demi right in the head. Demi's hand fell from her neck as she collided with the ground causing a huge "boom".

Orihime stood there panting and watching as her evil side stood up shakily. She stabbed Kuroryuu in the ground and balanced herself on her zanpakutou. One thing I noticed was that neither dragons were around anymore. I was starting to wonder where they disappeared to.

Orihime shunpo'd to where we were standing, her zanpakutou forgotten in the ground. Demi came charging at her before another zanpakutou materialized in her hands. It had a flower hilt guard and it was turquoise. The zanpakutou matched the colour of her hairpins. I assumed that this was her Shun Shun Rikka, only in zanpakutou form.

"**What the-? When did you get that zanpakutou Orihime? I don't recall you having two zanpakutou. Unless you've been doing things without me noticing." **Demi sneered.

She glared in response. "This happens to be my Shun Shun Rikka in zanpakutou form. I doubt you'd know anything about that since I combined them with my shinigami powers before you took over my body. I hid these powers so that you couldn't use them for evil. I guess it's something I'm good at. Who knows. But what I do know is this. Demi, if you wanted to be free from me, all you had to do was ask."

She raised an eyebrow. "**Really now? You expect me to believe that it would've been that simple to get freedom? In a world like this one, you have to fight to get what you want. There's no other options. It's survival of the fittest. Whoever is strong, survives. And everyone else perishes. That's how it works Orihime-sama. That's why it's called the food-chain."**

Orihime laughed. I couldn't tell if it was a laugh out of stupidity or pity. But it was a laugh I didn't want to hear from her again. "Survival of the fittest you say? Huh, that's odd. Cause if I recall, you're looking at humans, shinigami, and hollows. I don't believe there's such thing as survival of the fittest when it comes to humans. The reason why I say humans is because hollows were humans once. They just weren't saved by shinigami. In the Soul Society, everybody matters. Me and Tia don't pick and choose who to help. Why? Because everyone is important and have their roles in the Soul Society."

"**If what you say is true, does that mean that Rukia's role was to kill us? Was it to save herself no matter who she harmed? What you're saying is totally stupid and idiotic. You should know that words don't work on me."**

"Right, how can I forget? You don't have what humans call a 'brain'. All you have is instinct. And look where's it gotten you Demi. It's gotten you nowhere. You don't even know what's real or what's fake. You don't know the difference between the truth and the lies. Hell, you don't even know that Ichigo and Shiro worked out their problems by duking it out and talking to each other. That's where you're lacking Demi. You have to understand both sides of the coin, not block one out and only believe in the other."

* * *

_**~Shiro's POV~**_

_**To hear these words come out of Hime's mouth, it's a bit of a shock. But at the same time not really surprising. Demi has pushed her buttons to the point where she's gonna break. And although I can't see Shina, I know she's there. Probably in the zanpakutou, waiting for the right moment to help Orihime win this battle. **_

_**This fight has meaning, but to Demi, it has no point. She wants freedom, yet she's not letting herself be free by fighting with Hime. The more she resists, the harder it will be for her to achieve her so called 'freedom'. I can now sympathize with Hime because I understand what she's talking about.**_

_**Ever since we came back from the Soul Society, I've been trying to contact Ichigo. Especially after our fight with Byakuya. I wanted to make sure that I could be there for him when he needed me. Of course he tried resisting for some time. Until Tia helped him that is.**_

_**Maybe that's what Hime was trying to get at. She was trying her very best to communicate with her other half instead of fighting a senseless battle. I know how much she doesn't like fighting. And I can understand that she's more of a healer and not a fighter. But I know she has the skills of a fighter. Just that she doesn't want to rely on them as much.**_

_**Just then, her Santen Kessun came down. Everyone stood in shock and bewilderment. Except me obviously. I don't show signs of shock unless I'm in a battle. But usually I'm calm and collected. In that moment, Hime had Demi pinned to the ground. Her Shun Shun Rikka had thrown Demi's zanpakutou across the room as Hime pointed her zanpakutou at the base of her neck.**_

"It's over now Demi. You lose. And I win." _**With that, she took her Shun Shun Rikka zanpakutou away from her neck and started walking towards Shina. Demi growled in frustration and leaped to her feet. She sonido'd pasted Hime and grabbed Kuroryuu. **_

_**She lunged right for us and just as she was gonna strike us down, Hime had stabbed her in the heart. Demi turned to look at her, eyes wide in shock. As if she couldn't believe that Hime would do that. But she did. Blood dripped from her mouth as she tried to talk but she only hacked up blood. That's a lovely sight. **_

* * *

_**~Rukia's POV~**_

My eyes went wide when I saw Shina being stabbed into Demi's heart. When I looked at Orihime, her eyes didn't show emotion. She just gazed down into Demi's eyes, as if she's saying _'I warned you'. _

"Didn't I tell you that you lost? Why did you have to go and push your luck? Did you honestly want me to kill you? Well, Demi, you got your wish. If this is the freedom you wanted, you should have said so. Rather than fight me for it. Now you know how it feels to die. **Again**. Only this time, by your master's hands."

Demi gave her a small grin. Then she scoffed. "**Maybe this was the salvation I was seeking. I needed to be used by you. Or maybe I just needed some reassurance from you. Since after all, you were my master. I didn't defy you in any way. Or I tried not to. That's why I never talked to you. I didn't want to piss you off or say something that would make you hate me."**

"If that was the case, you could have still talked to me. You could have called me if you wanted out. I was gonna let you go because I don't need you anymore. I wanted you to have your freedom. The thing you wanted most. But if you wanted death more, I guess it can't be helped now can it?"

Demi smirked. "**I guess it can't. But hey, at least I know now how strong you really are. Ya wanna know the sad thing about this? I wasn't even trying. I wanted to get your attention. I just wanted to have fun. Maybe I deserve this punishment-"**

"Nobody deserves death as a punishment." Orihime butted in.

"**Yeah? Well I do. After all, I almost killed Rukia. Well more like I hated her just because she saved us. Maybe I just wanted you to save us instead of her. I mean, she did almost die for giving her powers to Ichigo. Also, I attacked everyone that was important to you. I made you betray your friends. The only good thing that came out of this was that we killed Aizen."**

Orihime shrugged. "He would've been killed eventually. But I'm glad he didn't kidnap me like he was planning. That would've been awful. And I don't think I can stand being away from everyone precious to me." She looked at us and smiled.

Demi nodded. **"Yeah. I guess your right. But hey, who knows? Maybe this experience has done some good for ya. Anyways, I gotta go now. Since you freed me, I should go and leave you and your friends be. It sucks how you never got to show them your moves though. I was hoping you would."**

Orihime smiled. "Yeah. Well there's always next time I suppose. You can't always give in to what others expect of you. Or that's what I've learned from this experience. You've served me well, Demi. Now go and be free."

Demi nodded and then vanished before our eyes.

* * *

_**~Tia's POV~**_

I watched as Orihime placed Shina back in her sheath. The Shun Shun Rikka went back in with her zanpakutou and she just looked up at the moon. As I watch my sister, I wonder what's going on in her head. She's probably thinking of this whole experience. After all, it was a very odd one. There wasn't as much action as I would've liked. But I'm glad that things turned out this way.

She yawned before stretching her arms in the air. She sighed before looking at us. A smile on her face. I smiled back.

"How about.. we go back to the World of the Living? Surely it's morning over there now. And you need to get some sleep young lady. You've been up for quite a long time. And I'm not gonna want to deal with a cranky sister when I come back."

She looked at me confusingly. "Come back? You're not going to the Soul Society are you?"

"I have no choice. I have to let them that we're both okay. Besides, I'm going to Kisuke's before I go back. Rukia, Renji, Toushirou, Momo, Rangiku, Gin, Grimmjow. Nel, and Kari are all coming back with me. I'm gonna have to explain that Gin is innocent and that Grimmjow and Nel are nice arrancars that want to be shinigami. They can even be under us. That way we can watch them and make sure Grimmjow doesn't get into trouble."

"Hey! Why only mention me for?"

I glared at him. "Because you have a habit of reeking havoc among everyone. I won't tolerate that to happen again. And yes, I heard about your little escapade in the World of the Living. So don't try to deny it."

He huffed and looked away. I shook my head in amusement. This is gonna be fun. I can just feel it.

"Anyways, once we get back there, you, Ichigo, Uryu, Chad and Yoruichi can rest up. Or I bet Uryu would want to go home. Since I heard he's not supposed be associating with shinigami anymore. But I don't think he cares, seeing as he broke that rule already." I sighed.

"Well then, shall we go home?" Yoruichi asked.

Everyone nodded and we all headed back to Kisuke's.

* * *

**A/N:** Alright so the fight was really stupid. I guess I got sick of having the details. So I cut it short. I was gonna have it longer but I think that would've dragged the fight on longer than it should be.

The next chapter has IchiHime in it! Yay! Finally they get together. Of course they may get into a little tiff before becoming a couple. But I mean, they shouldn't just get together all of a sudden like everything's okay. Obviously they have things they need to work out.

So R&R! The next chapter is the FINAL CHAPTER!

~Tia-Chan~


	14. To Protect

_Alright so here it is! The final chapter! *cheers* Sorry for the HUGE delay. Exams are coming up in a week so school's starting to become stuck in my head and pushing all my ideas out! *gasps* But I still get ideas for my drabbles. I think it's cause they're only short stories so they don't need a plot to them. Whereas an actual story has plot and all these other elements that are supposed to make it good. I only have like two exams or so. So it shouldn't be that much of a problem anyways ;D After exams, I have summer vacation for two months! SWEET! *ahem* Anyways, please enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

Things were relatively back to normal. There was no more Demi. Orihime was brought back to her home, and Aizen was dead. But there was still some tension left between the two orange heads. Tia was watching from a nearby tree. Ever since her sister was brought back, she noticed how different they acted towards each other.

Ichigo would try and talk to her but she'd just brush him off and keep walking. There was a time, Tia noted, that Ichigo tried to talk to Orihime but he didn't get anywhere.

* * *

"_Oi, Inoue."_

_The young girl stiffened at hearing that voice. She couldn't take the thought of her one love dating her best friend. Even though she told them that she was fine, she was far from it. Maybe it was from seeing the two of them kissing. **In the rain. **She didn't know how to deal with it. Every time she saw Ichigo, that one memory kept popping in her mind as if it was happening at that exact moment. _

_Anger boiled in her, and she didn't want to talk to him either. It would make her say something she'd regret. She sighed before turning around, giving him an evil glare. Her eyes showed nothing but hatred and it made Ichigo take a step back with widened eyes. Never had Orihime stared him down like that. It kinda scared him. She heard the bell ring and she didn't want to be late for class. Or that was the excuse she made up. _

_Orihime had walked in Ichigo's direction, her gaze never leaving his eyes. _

"_Ino-" He was cut off by the feel of her shoulder nudging him out of her way. His eyes widened more at her aggressiveness. He turned around and watched her back as she walked down the barren hallway._

_

* * *

_

Tia yawned and stretched her arms in the air. She was a bit shocked when Ichigo told her. But at the same time, she knew that Orihime would act slightly different than usual. It's only natural once someone loses their hollow. When they leave your body, the person has a different attitude. It's only a temporary side effect. Tia knew this because the same thing happened to her.

_I wonder how Ichigo is gonna fix this. Maybe I should go see him. _With that decided, Tia jumped off the tree branch and headed towards the Kurosaki clinic.

* * *

_What's happening? It's been three weeks since Inoue hasn't talked to me. No, her name isn't Inoue. It's Orihime. Either way, she won't even look at me without giving me a glare. What did I actually do? I went to go save her. Or attempted. She ended up saving herself._

Ichigo was laying on his bed, deep in thought when he heard a knock on his door. Before he could tell them to go away, the door opened and he saw Tia standing there in the doorway.

"Tia-san. What gives? Aren't you supposed to be in Soul Society right now?"

She walked in and lightly kicked the door shut. She went to his desk and turned his chair so she could talk to him. "Nah. Not yet anyways. Everyone else went back but I can't go back just yet. I need to make sure everything is alright with Orihime. I can't do that if I'm in the Soul Society now can I?"

He shrugged "I guess not. But that still doesn't explain why you're in my house."

Tia leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. "No, I guess you're right." She sat up and looked at him. "Actually, I came to see if you were alright too."

He blinked before giving her a blank stare.

"I can sense your spiritual pressure. You seem tense. Or maybe worried. I can't really tell right now. But I can sense a confused vibe coming from you. You wanna explain why?"

"Oh. That. Well, I dunno. I guess I'm still wondering why she's mad at me. I mean, did I do something wrong? Was it my fault that Demi had appeared? Did I protect her too much? There are so many damn questions that I can't answer!"

Tia watched with curious eyes as Ichigo punched the wall and took his frustrations out on his pillow. It made her question her sister's taste in men. Especially since he had one of the worst attitude problems she had ever seen. But she knew right away what it was about him that her sister loved. It was his personality. He didn't change himself just so she would like him. He's honest, kind (in his own way), smart (when he wanted to be). She could list all the things she saw in Ichigo. But Tia knew it would be pointless to do that.

"Y'know, you should just tell her." Ichigo looked up at Tia before sitting up on the edge of his bed. "What I mean is that even though she's ignoring you, you should force her to listen. Sometimes, I had to do that when she was mad at me. Although the only times she ever got mad at me were over stupid things like what we'd do on a certain day. Things like that. But after I sat her down, well more like pinned her down, I told her why we couldn't do the thing she wanted. Anyways, I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you're so confused about what you should do, just follow what your heart tells you."

"What my heart tells me huh?" Ichigo pinched the bridge of his nose before he sighed. "That's just it. It's telling me to tell her how I feel but my head keeps making up scenarios that prevent me from doing what I want."

"Ichigo..."

He looked at her before feeling a slap across his cheek. His hand went to his face before giving her a death glare.

"OW! What the fuck was that for?"

Tia sighed. "Idiot. Don't be like Renji. He waited so many years to tell Rukia how he felt. He almost lost her three times. I don't want another couple to lose out on something so wonderful. If you don't tell her how you feel soon... I swear I'll make your life a living hell." She stood up and opened his door. Silently, she left his room, leaving Ichigo to figure out what he truly wants.

* * *

Meanwhile, in an apartment block not far from the Kurosaki clinic, another red-head was sitting in her living room. Orihime felt really bad for ignoring Ichigo. But she figured that it was the only way to tell him that she didn't need him to protect her all the time. She wanted to tell him that she could fight for herself and that she didn't need help. But she couldn't figure out how to put it into words. So the only way was to avoid him like the plague.

_Maybe I shouldn't keep avoiding him. He may think it's his fault that I'm ignoring him. Then he'll feel bad and that will just make me more mad. AHH! I don't know what to do. _

The sound of knocking shook her out of her thoughts. She blinked before realizing that it was Ichigo at her door. On the inside, she was freaking out because she was confused herself. She thought that her actions would speak louder than her words. Or maybe that was the excuse she was using to cover up her real reason.

Sighing to herself, Orihime ignored the knocking until it turned into banging. This made her very annoyed and she figured out why it was so similar. O_nee-chan used to be the same way. Maybe she talked him into coming here. Now he'll never leave. Not with the way Onee-chan acts. _

She groaned. "Just come in already!" she yelled.

The door swung open and left a dent in her wall. Orihime looked at the dented wall before turning to Ichigo.

"You're paying for the hole."

Ichigo huffed before lifting his head to look at her. "We need to talk."

"I don't know what you're talking about. You better fix that. I don't like having holes in my apartment."

"Bullshit! You've been avoiding me and it's gotta stop. Now."

"Don't tell me what to do. You have no authority over me."

His eyes turned dark brown and walked towards her. He stopped right in front of her and scowled at her. " I may not be stronger than you, or smarter than you. But I made a promise to Tia-san that I'd protect you and I don't care if you argue or fight me. I'm gonna fucking keep that promise."

She looked up at him with a glare. "Yeah? Well I never asked you to protect me! Onee-chan didn't ask you either. The only reason why you made that promise was because I got hurt and you couldn't keep me safe. You felt so damn guilty about it! Until Rukia-chan came and kicked your ass. If you felt so guilty about it, why didn't you just protect her? I don't need anyone to look out for me. I'm not a little kid anymore."

"Well, you're fucking acting like one!"

"Because your not making any sense! And it's so pathetic that you have to get your ass kicked by Rukia-chan just to snap out of depression! If she makes you so damn happy, why don't you just stay with her already?"

Orihime backed away from him but never looked away. She knew he was extremely pissed off but she was really confused and angry. He wasn't making any sense to her and she wanted to get everything straight. She gasped when he shunpo'd closer and pinned her against the wall. She recovered quickly and once again glared at him. She couldn't move since his hands were on both sides of her head. His eyes started to turn golden which warned her that his hollow was coming out.

"Do you honestly think that I'm scared of your hollow? You should know better than to threaten me with him."

He growled at her. "Who said I was threatening you? Dammit, why are you being like this?"

Her expression was starting to soften but she managed to keep her face calm.

"Tell me, did I not protect you hard enough? Did I protect you too much? Did I neglect your feelings and act selfishly? Did I only think of what was best for me and not what was best for you? Please, Orihime, answer me. Was I not a good enough friend?"

She shook her head and looked at the floor. Her hand reached out and grabbed his shirt for support.

"No. You're a really good friend. It's me who hasn't been a very good one. Ichigo, you protected me even though you didn't have to. I never wanted you to protect me because I wanted to protect you. So when Rukia-chan made you happy, I felt jealous. I felt jealous because I thought I wasn't important enough to you. Especially since I couldn't make you happy. You only thought of what was best for me. I've never had that. Not since onii-chan died. It's me who acted selfishly. Because I didn't consider your feelings and why you wanted to protect me. I mean I had Tatsuki to defend me, but I never had another guy look after me. I mean I had Renji, but that was when I was little."

She looked up at him with teary eyes. His eyes softened and he reached out to wipe her eyes. "Ichigo, I really don't mind that your protective. But I just wish I could help you sometimes. I feel like a burden when I can't help you and -"

She leaned forward and rested her head on his shoulder. Both her arms wrapped around him and she squeezed him so tightly to make sure he was actually here. Orihime always had dreams about this moment. Mainly the fighting part though. She wanted to stay mad at him but even she knew her limits. It was the same way with Tia. Eventually, Orihime would stop being angry and listen to her.

Ichigo did the same thing to Orihime. His arms wrapped around her and he practically squeezed the life out of her. Not that she minded of course. His head rested on hers and he stared at the wall.

"So, does this mean you don't hate me?"

She looked up at him. "No, I never hated you. I was just so annoyed. It still feels weird without having Demi in me. I guess I know how onee-chan feels."

Ichigo blinked. "What do you mean? Tia-san doesn't have her hollow anymore?"

"No, she does. But she let her hollow go free like I did. Sometimes though, she'd come and help us whenever we were in trouble. Probably her instincts I guess. But onee-chan said that there was a sense of loss without her. She did avoid a lot of people. Well except for me and Kari-chan. I think she wanted to keep everyone a safe distance away from her. But she couldn't get rid of us. I'm pretty stubborn."

Ichigo scratched the back of his neck. "I guess so. I mean, I wouldn't really know because I'm such an idiot that I don't notice things about my friends. Huh, some friend I am."

She gasped. "Ichigo! That's not true at all!"

He blinked and looked at her. "What's not true?"

"Just because you don't notice things about us doesn't mean you're not a good friend! It just means that there's something more important that you're worrying about. You don't always have to pay attention to us all the time. You could be worrying about family matters, the future, school. There's many other things that are important."

He chuckled. "Alright. If you think I'm not a bad guy, then be my girlfriend."

"You actually mean...?"

He nodded. "I can't stand the thought of other guys being anywhere near you. So instead of kicking their asses, I let Tatsuki deal with them."

"Why?"

"'Cuz then people would assume that I was a jealous boyfriend. I hate when people assume shit that's not true. Plus Tatsuki could use the extra karate practice. Not saying she's bad at it, but she loves practising so I figured what the heck. But I can't get mad at them if it is true. Besides, I've waited too long to tell you. And I don't want to waste anymore time."

He leaned forward til their foreheads touched. Brown eyes stared into glassy grey. His hand cupped her cheek.

"Be mine... Orihime."

And they sealed the relationship with a kiss.

* * *

Tia watched the scene from the tree outside her sister's apartment. Normally she didn't spy but sadly, she couldn't help herself. She held a video recorder in her hand as she recorded the moment. Actually, she was there since Ichigo got there.

* * *

"_Alright, so if you're gonna stop being such a big pansy, here's what you're gonna do."_

_Ichigo groaned. "I am not a pansy!"_

"_Then could you stop acting like one? Seriously, you acted like this when you asked me about your hollow. God, I hate the sight of men. Well, at least when they're depressed and shit. It doesn't suit them at all."_

"_I just don't get why you're dragging me down the street."_

"_Idiot, we're going to Orihime's. Actually, you are. I'm just making sure you get there without chickening out."_

"_Wha? I am not a chicken! I just don't know what to say. She's already pissed off at me."_

_Tia slapped him upside the head. "What the fuck was that for?"_

_She sighed. "You're an idiot."_

"_What?"_

"_Orihime is waiting to talk to you stupid. I already warned you though, you have to force her to talk. If you have to, yell at her and make her crack. That's what I do and it works everytime."_

"_So you actually want me to make your sister cry?"_

"_Duh! She hardly does as it is. A cry every now and then won't hurt her. It's her stupid pride that makes her put up a facade. But I know she's actually sad right now and wants to talk to you. No matter how much she may deny it."_

"_Alright. If you say so..."_

"_Good, now go annoy the shit out of her!" With that said, Tia threw Ichigo towards Orihime's door._

_

* * *

_

Sighing, She knew that Orihime needed Ichigo bad. And it was really obvious. What was more obvious was the love she felt for him. She also knew that Ichigo loved her. So that's why she decided to play matchmaker. But it wasn't just because she wanted them to be happy. No, it was cause she needed something to do and something memorable before she headed back to the Soul Society.

_Ooo I can't wait to tell everyone the good news! Thank you Rukia! _She closed the chappy video camera after saving the video and jumped onto the roof of Orihime's apartment. She opened up the senkaimon and walked in. Vanishing before Orihime noticed she was even there.

* * *

**A/N:** _That's the chapter. I'm glad this story is done. That way I can focus on new one-shots and Love from Afar. ((I've left that one without updating. I should really do that.)) I also have to update my drabbles too. It's hard when you don't have a computer. However, thanks to my friend Sophii, I can upload this. _

_Thanks for reading this story! Please let me know what you think!_

_~Tia-Chan~_


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